A presentation will be made today at the 4 PM Sioux Falls city council informational meeting.
Ironically, while there was 10,000 fewer visitors in 2018 than in 2017 that operational expenses jumped $100K. 2018 made $1,000 less than 2017.
It also interesting to note that many sponsorships expire next year and need to be renewed. We will see how that goes.
I have often argued if there is the NEED for a public sporting facility in the community, it will at least break even or come very close. As I mentioned before the vote, besides being a bad location (no room for expansion) there are plenty of other indoor swimming opportunities for folks in the private sector, and many of these facilities offer other fitness options at their locations, some even include bowling and golf passes.
We will continue to be in the hole for years to come on the MAC, because it simply really wasn’t needed and was built in the wrong spot. I still think we should have partnered with Sanford on a pool at the Sports Complex. There is a still a rumor floating around that they intend to eventually build an Olympic competition pool out there, and once Slaveowner High goes in it will be utilized.
Real question. Do any of the public pools make money?
No, and they talked about this at the meeting. Many factors why they don’t;
No sponsorships
Not many classes or swim meets at the outdoor pools (rentals)
A large number of FREE swim passes are used at the outdoor pools
Short season, closed when too cold or raining.
The outdoor pools just are not setup to make money, but the MAC could. I know that their is a rumor going around that PTH put out a directive that he wants a lot of these publicly funded facilities to try net zero next year, in other words ‘break even’. I think this includes not only the MAC, but the Orpheum, the EC, Pavilion and possibly the Zoo. I have often argued if something in our community is actually ‘needed’ it will get used enough to at least break even, especially with all the private sponsorships coming in.