Pool feeling pinch of delayed opening

While attendance holds strong at the new Hawthorn Woods Aquatic Center, a delayed opening is taking a financial toll, the village board heard Monday night.

According to Village Finance Director Nancy Caine, season passes to the center on Midlothian Road have brought in $156,561, slightly lower than a budgeted $172,050.

But the good news, the board heard, was that attendance was higher than expected.

"We're getting lots of non-resident adults," Caine said.

In a memo to the board, Caine attributed the shortfall largely to the pool's delayed opening. The center was slated to open June 1 but did not do so until June 24. To compensate, the village offered half-price season passes to those who had not yet bought a pass and a free year pass to those who had. Therefore, $114,320 of the pool's revenue - the money from those who already bought season passes before the delay was announced - will be deferred to next year.

Trustee Greg Gehrke noted that if it were not for the delay, strong attendance would be keeping the village closer to its projections.

"We're getting a lot of people through in a very short period of time," Gehrke said. "We're busy."

Caine told the board the 2007-08 budget estimated 95 people would buy a daily pass each day. Instead, an average of 115 were buying daily passes. Total daily attendance at the pool averages 466 people.

Director of Recreation Kim Lynch said so far the center has been drawing very large crowds.

"I don't know if it's a novelty or what," Lynch said.

The village has made $176,947 from the pool since its opening, though the budget estimated $243,250 in revenue.

But Village Administrator Jim Krischke said the $5.9 million aquatic center's cost was still lower than originally budgeted.

"Overtime is still tracking well below what we had anticipated," he told trustees. "So far, we've been very happy with the results to date."