Elgin's fitness investment paying off

A nearly half-million dollar investment into new fitness equipment has prompted an increase in memberships at the Centre of Elgin, but the city's aging outdoor pools are losing customers.

Some outdoor pool users - many of them teenagers - did not come back this summer after the closure of the Wing Park Family Aquatic Center in summer 2014 for upgrades related to safety and the American with Disabilities Act, Parks and Recreation Director Randy Reopelle told city council members during a special meeting Saturday.

"Other communities have other exciting things that the teens are willing to drive for," he said, pointing to Otter Cove Aquatic Park in St. Charles, which features body slides, bouncy diving boards and a lazy river.

On the upside, fitness memberships at the Centre increased by 10.7 percent - or from 2,425 to 2,684 - from August, when the new equipment was installed, with platinum memberships nearly doubling to 405.

"The overall response to the improvements at the fitness center has been excellent," Reopelle said, crediting the work of new membership coordinator Eddy Hernandez.

The Eastside Recreation Center also has increased memberships, partly thanks to new programs such as Rocky Steady Boxing for people who suffer from Parkinson's disease, Reopelle said.

The indoor pool at the Centre is doing well, with expanded swim lessons and more, and there were increases in attendance at summer camps, before-and-after school programs, and rentals at the Hemmens Cultural Center, Chief Financial Officer Debra Nawrocki said.

The recreation fund - which includes all these elements - is estimated to end up close to $930,000 in the red this year. However, expenses include $650,000 for three land management employees who report to the parks and recreation director, which is an accounting change, Nawrocki said, as well as Sports Complex projects that carried over from 2014. The fund is expected yield $1.4 million in revenues over expenses in 2016, she said.

Councilman John Prigge asked whether the increase in Hemmens rentals puts in doubt the need for a facility upgrade. City Manager Sean Stegall said that while the Hemmens had "a little bit of a better year," it still needs upgrading if the council's goal is to turn it into a regional performing arts center.

The city's golf fund - which accounts for three public golf courses - is breaking even, not a small feat after a rainy summer, and is expected to do the same next year, Reopelle said.

The key is to maintain courses in excellent shape and focus on maximizing revenues per golf round - such as by not discounting fees - rather than the total number of rounds, he explained.

"I can't say enough good things about the operation of the golf courses," Councilman Terry Gavin said.

Council members also were told there is no need to change building permit fees for current and prospective residents and business owners after a consultant's study showed that Elgin is generally below average among 12 municipalities analyzed.

The analysis took into account not just fees, but factors like how long it takes to process building permits, associated costs in staff salaries and more, Community Development Director Marc Mylott said.

"What we found is that Elgin is neither highest on any of these types of permits, or lowest," he said.

Councilwoman Tish Powell said she was pleased to hear developers praise Elgin for how quickly it issues building permits. However, Powell also said, residents and small business owners complain of the opposite, and she asked staff to address that discrepancy.

Building permit fees have stayed flat since 2011; the study cost about $50,000, Stegall said. The city plans to commission studies for all its fees over the next few years, including zoning, parks and recreation, and more, he said.

Saturday's was the final budget presentation before the city council is expected to adopt the 2016 budget Dec. 16.