City raises rates at Lyle center

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City raises rates at Lyle center

Friday, 08 April 2011 15:02

By Fallan Patterson
Staff Writer
Just in time for the weather to reach 90 degrees, St. Cloud raised its rates for swim lessons offered at the Chris Lyle Aquatic Center.
Aimed at being more competitive with surrounding cities and to meet staffing costs, Parks and Recreation interim Director Stephanie Holtkamp asked the City Council last month to increase the rates from $25 to $35 per half hour sessions of instruction for in-county residents. Hour classes are $45 for residents. Out-of-county residents are subjected to an additional $10 fee per lesson.
According to the more than eight pool facilities researched by Holtkamp and her staff, 30 percent have a differential fee for swim lessons between residents and non-residents.
The fee increases were unanimously approved at the March 24 council meeting.
“It’s consistent with what our neighboring city’s are charging,” Holtkamp said.
The increase, the council hopes, also will deter the quickly-filled spots from being snagged by non-residents.
“There’s been complaints the citizens of St. Cloud are not being able to participate in swim lessons,” Holtkamp said at the March 10 meeting.
Up to 46 percent of swim lesson participates live outside Osceola County, Holtkamp said, and last year 1,500 students registered for swim lessons.
City Council members were concerned at the March 10 meeting about either alienating non-residents with a fee increase or preventing St. Cloud residents from grabbing a spot during the two-day swim lessons registration.
“If we were at least comparable, we could offer more time at our pool and keep the (solar) heater on a little longer,” Mayor Rebecca Borders said March 10.
Councilman Jarom Fertic was surprised by the discussion.
“I didn’t know people bargained shopped that much for swim lessons,” Fertic said as Holtkamp explained March 10 about the fees researched.
“If you’re registering three or four kids, it makes a difference,” Boarders said about the $15 price difference between St. Cloud’s $25 charge and the City of Orlando’s $40 charge for the same service.
The appeal, Holtkamp said, goes beyond the cheaper fees. People continue to sign multiple children up each season due to the experience of the swim instructors – some have been their as long as 10 years – and the organization of the program.
“People from all over come to these swim lessons,” Holtkamp said.
The pool is closed to the public during the lessons and up to eight lessons occur at one time.
“The pool is pretty busy, (it’s) packed,” she said. “That’s why we’re not open to the general public (during lessons).”
Additionally, St. Cloud offers six elementary schools access to the pool through the Osceola County Schools Learn to Swim program, geared toward inviting children who qualify for free lunch access to free swim lessons. Orlando offers a similar service.
Registration for swim lessons, which children can begin as young as 6 months old, starts April 15 and 16 for classes beginning April 25 at Chris Lyle Aquatic Center, located at 3001 17th St. Registration is held at the aquatic center from 6-7:30 p.m. on Fridays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. There are 14 different sessions offered this year from April to October.
“If we had known the weather was going to be so nice, we would’ve started (classes) earlier,” Holtkamp said. “Last year was so cold.”
Morning and evening classes are available as well as Saturday, however Holtkamp recommends students take more than one lesson per week to become proficient. Private lessons and adult swim classes also are available.
For more information, including the 2011 swim lesson schedule, visit www.StCloud.org or call 407-957-7244.