Willow Glen Resident

News

City looks to raise swimming fees, open upgraded pools by this summer

By Mayra Flores De Marcotte

San Jose Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services wants to raise aquatics fees to be more comparable with Santa Clara County rates, and residents are backing it up.

The department held a series of community meetings and conducted an online survey to determine whether residents would support a fee increase, and the general consensus was yes.

"We are very proud of the fact that all the neighborhoods are supportive," said Cynthia Bojorquez, parks deputy director, community and resource development.

The proposal, if approved, will raise swimming fees from $45 a session to $59, still below the county average of $70. Each session includes nine 30-minute swim times.

The department is also proposing to increase the recreational swim fees for youths by 25 cents, making it the same as the county fee of $2.25.

As part of the proposal, scholarships and discounted rates will be offered to offset the fee increase.

The proposed fee increases will go before San Jose City Council on March 11, in time to be implemented for this summer.

In 2005, the San Jose City Council voted to close four of its pools--Biebrach, Ryland, Mayfair and Alviso--due to safety and health code violations and inadequate revenue streams.

Although the city hired a consultant to explore various alternatives to upgrading and reopening the current pools, residents just wanted their pools fixed. As a result, the city scrapped any alternative plans and is in the process of reopening the existing pools.

Three of the pools are currently being worked on. The fourth, Mayfair, was approved for renovations in August 2006.