PUHI — It will stay afloat for another year. Faced with the sink-or-swim position of needing to raise enough money to keep its Olympic-sized swimming pool open, the YMCA has reached its goal, meaning swimmers will be able get their
PUHI — It will stay afloat for another year.
Faced with the sink-or-swim position of needing to raise enough money to keep its Olympic-sized swimming pool open, the YMCA has reached its goal, meaning swimmers will be able get their laps in through 2014.
The nonprofit raised around $160,000 to ensure the 18-lane swimming pool will stay open, Tom Tannery, YMCA director said Monday.
“We were successful,” Tannery said of the fundraising campaign that kicked off earlier this year after the nonprofit went public with the financial situation. “People on the island did wonderful things. They came through, kind of like they always do.”
Around $60,000 was donated by private individuals and $100,000 came from other foundations, the director said.
The $5 million Olympic-sized swimming pool has been opened for five years and operates at a monthly deficit of more than $10,000. It costs around $20,000 a month to operate.
“Almost all of our costs are put into the Olympic swimming pool,” Tannery said.
The 501 (c)(3) offers subsidized memberships, and recently increased those to help generate funds. Individual memberships went from $60 to $70, family $75 to $90 and seniors were bumped $10, from $45 to $55.
The YMCA has about 320 family memberships.
Still, Tannery said the nonprofit will continue to solicit funds to keep the pool open beyond 2014. It learned at the end of November it had raised enough for the following year, but the community center has been battling costs since membership projects fell short of what consultant studies had predicted, which was around 500 family members. So it will continue to raise funds to keep the pool open in the future.
“That’s how nonprofits work, they never stop raising money,” he said. “That is our reality.”
But hitting the fundraising goal this year ensures the pool — which is used by Swim Kauai Aquatics, seniors, everyday Joes and lifeguards as a training site — will be open another year.
“I love the pool,” said Susan Miura, happy to hear the news Monday that another year is in the pool’s future. “My grandson comes here, and it’s a good program. It’s good to have the pool in Lihue because it’s used by both kupuna and the young children. I like the pool because it’s clean, well-kept and the children are well-behaved. We need a place where the kids can come to use.”
If the financial situation worsens in the future, the 650,000-gallon Olympic-sized pool could close. The rest of the YMCA would be open, as would the smaller pool and Jacuzzi, but the main one would be drained.
Molly Alvarado, head lifeguard who trains other lifeguards at the YMCA, said her first reaction to the thought of the pool closing was how much instruction, which is a safety issue, would be lost on the island.
“Oh my gosh, there’s going to be generation of Kauaians who don’t know how to swim,” she said of her initial reaction, adding that she was relieved that funding did come through but funding is an issue for lots of organizations when it comes to operating pools. “It’s always an issue, Alvarado said. “Who knows how long it will be like that?”
• Tom Hasslinger, managing editor, can be reached at 245-0427 or thasslinger@thegardenisland.com.
