AMERICAN FORK — Last year, American Fork City officials came up nearly $300,000 short when it came to meeting the expense of running the American Fork Fitness Center.
They're trying to understand the problem, and that's sending shock waves through a group that depends on the pool for swim team practice.
Mayor Ted Barratt said the city is trying to gather all the pertinent information but is meeting resistance on the part of the Hilltop Aquatic Swim Team.
"We've been kind of under attack," said Janet Oles, one of the Hilltop Aquatics Swim Team coaches. "We're really worried."
Oles said city staff members are asking all kinds of questions and want the swim team records and balance sheets, even the booster club records.
The team currently has 200 members, of whom 40 percent own season passes to the center.
Oles said it doesn't make sense to push the swim team out when it's a solvent program that brings families, visitors and revenue to the pool not only for practices but for the frequent meets sponsored by the team.
She said Barratt told her the city is losing money and will have to close the recreation center if things don't turn around.
Barratt said he's just trying to encourage the swim team leadership to open up their books and give the city staff members the information they need to make good decisions.
"Like anything the city has, if the city cannot resolve the issues, if something becomes a huge liability, if we can't get all the facts, then we have to do something without all of the information," Barratt said. "They are of the thinking that this is an amenity that's always going to be. They don't have a use-by-right."
City Chief of Staff Melanie Marsh said she and others on the administrative staff are looking at all of the recreation center programs trying to ascertain what's working and what isn't.
"I haven't heard closure," Marsh said. "We are losing money and we're just concerned. We want to make the center self-sustaining."
Cathy Jensen, the city's financial officer, said last year the center took in $675,943 and spent $968,203. A transfer was made from the city's general fund to make up the difference.
Marsh said the rec center staff gets complaints from pool patrons who come to swim laps and find themselves competing for space with the swim team.
"They (the swim team members) go all day, from 5:30 a.m. through to 7 p.m. That's the concern," Marsh said.
Dan Scoresby has a 9-year-old daughter on the swim team who gets herself up and ready at 5:45 a.m. for her turn in the water. He thinks it would be a real loss to the community to cut back or cut out the team's access.
"It would be serious enough that we would have to take her to Orem or to Draper to replace that access," Scoresby said.
Scoresby said the swim team coaches not only teach swimming skills but help the kids take responsibility for themselves. They set their own alarms, assign themselves the job of getting enough rest and getting good grades as well as working hard in practice sessions.
"I have this 9-year-old girl talking to me about college and scholarships and the Olympics," Scoresby said.
"I think it would be disastrous (to cut the swim team out or close the center)," said Brent Bunnell, also the parent of a young team member. "It's a tremendous opportunity for these kids. It's a tremendous asset to the community. The community obviously wanted it because they bonded for it and everybody's paying for it. It would be a shame to see the team go by the wayside."
To bolster their position with the city, Bunnell said the entire team intends to buy season family passes (at an annual cost of $310 for residents). That should make the city feel better about providing adequate pool time to team members and if the center is closed, the city would face having to refund those passes.
"To me, there's a lot of ignorance on the part of city officials," Bunnell said.
Ten-year-old Jacquelyn Stauffer had a nightmare the other night that the team had been shut down.
Her mother said she's probably picked up on the anxiety swim team parents are feeling over.
Annette Stauffer said her daughter will probably never be in the Olympics or win state contests, but nevertheless, the opportunity to be on the swim team is precious to her.
"She has friends on the team. It gives her exercise and something to do. They love it. It would be a shame to lose it, you know," Stauffer said.
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