| Organized by Helper’s community development committee, a booth at the art festival highlights a project developed to completely overhaul the city’s swimming pool. Along with illustrations of the pool features, the display included a large fish tank which was filled with money by citizens in favor of the project. |
After six months of extensive research and planning, members of Helper’s community development committee introduce a revenue and operating expense presentation for a new pool to the city council for feedback.
Committee chair Bianca Dumas led discussion with the assistance of panel member Mika Salas during the Helper City Council’s meeting on Aug. 19.
“We’ve gone through our budget and we’ve annotated it,” Dumas pointed out. “We’ve given reasons for all of our costs.”
In developing revenue and expense projections, the committee investigated comparable facilities in Duchesne and DeWitt, Iowa, along with the Price’s Desert Wave and adjusted the numbers based on the scale of the Helper pool project’s design.
Estimated revenues taken into account by the committee included pool rentals, lockers, season passes, daily admission, lessons/programs and concessions for the months of June, July and August.
The resulting projections were based on conservative numbers, according to the committee.
The pool would be open to the public Monday through Saturday and private rental of the facility would be accommodated for Sunday.
Overall projected revenue was expected to be approximately $40,280 based on current figures.
However, the group will seek a second opinion for official numbers.
For expenses, the group allotted for the salaries of a supervisor and a part-time staff member along with all applicable taxes and benefits for a total cost of $26,020.
Other expenses for the pool included:
•Office equipment and supplies, $100. The cost was based on Helper pool’s history.
•Building, grounds and equipment supplies and maintenance, $7,900.
Expenses include season opening and closing of the pool, daily checks and maintenance.
•Utilities, $7,500.
Estimated costs were based on Helper’s past gas usage and estimated metered electrical.
However, a more efficient design for the city’s new pool could reduce the estimated utility cost.
Solar heating for the pool could also be an option.
•Telecommunications, $150.
The cost includes yearly hook up fee, monthly dial-tone and disconnection at season end.
•Professional and technical, $250.
The figure includes a weekly water sample by the public health department.
•Insurance, $3,500.
Numbers were projected by the Utah Local Governments Trust risk manager.
The figure was based on a flat $3,000 rate for the pool and all water toys, which are individual risk-assessed, along with a 30 cent cost per square foot.
•Advertising and printing, $480.
The estimated expenditures would account for thirty 30 second advertisements on the radio and 500 flyers.
•Chemicals, $2,500.
The projected cost was based on the DeWitt, Iowa, pool’s actually use of chemicals.
Efficiency of the two facilities is expected to be similar and the numbers were scaled down to fit the size of the Helper pool project.
•Merchandise for resale, $7,700.
Cost is based on number of calculated concession purchases.
•Minor equipment, $500.
The projected figure was added as buffer, calculated using DeWitt, Iowa, pool’s need for incidentals.
•Miscellaneous supplies, $1,000.
The number is based on past budget and history.
•Uniforms, $50.
The projected number is based on Helper swimming pool’s history of providing one T-shirt per lifeguard.
Numbers indicated that with annual expenses of $57,650, the pool would incur a net loss of $17,370 a year, to be added with annual depreciation.
Dumas asked the council to give the city’s support at all meetings the committee attended.
“Say yes – we can pay for this pool everyday,” commented the committee chair. “That’s how you create a community, through positive experiences together.”
Councilman Chuck Buchanan voiced agreement that the pool was something Helper needed to support.
“Seventeen thousand a year in our community for recreation is a small price to pay,” pointed out Buchanan.
Helper Mayor Joe Bonacci indicated that the city council would send representatives to any meetings attended by the committee.
The members of the development committee also raised community awareness with a booth at the Helper Art’s Festival on Aug. 20-22.
Along with diagrams of intended pool equipment, festival attendees also contributed funds to the Helper pool fish tank.
For more complete number breakdowns, interested community members may contact Dumas.
The committee is currently developing a website for all Helper pool project information and updates.
Addressing an unrelated business matter, the council heard from Wells Fargo employee Betty Bailey.
Bailey premised her statement by informing the council that she was not a member of the community development committee and was not representing the bank at the meeting.
“As you all know, Wells Fargo was robbed on July 20. It was the first bank robbery ever in Carbon County,” said Bailey
The bank manager said she had asked to be on the agenda to commend Helper city and the local police department for the efficient manner in which the robbery incident was handled.
“It’s not something that you run into every day,” pointed out Bailey. “They [Helper police] responded so rapidly, they gave me and my coworker such a feeling of security. For a community the size of Helper, its police force and all the surrounding police forces all did a wonderful job.”
Bonacci added his commendation to the city’s law enforcement department.
The mayor pointed out that personal letters from a United States Federal Bureau of Investigation agent who analyzed the case and an area president of the bank had been received, both commenting on the professional way the robbery incident had been handled.
The alleged robbery incident took place at approximately 10:15 a.m. at the Wells Fargo branch in Helper on July 20.
Law enforcement officers throughout Carbon County participated in the investigation.
Burnice A. Williams was arrested at 5:30 p.m. that evening in connection with the incident.