Cost for admission to Gilley Pool will be based on age this summer.
The city’s Parks and Recreation Committee approved a recommendation by McMinnville Parks and Recreation director Scott McCord to make a change to the fee structure that’s been in place since 2010, which was $4 for everyone, regardless of age.
Now paying the most for a day trip to the pool will be ages 6 to 54. Their fee will increase to $5, unless a $4 Gilley Token is used.
Gilley Tokens are paid for in advance and can be used anytime during the summer by anyone regardless of age.
Children under 2 will be admitted free.
“We’ve gotten a lot of complaints about kids being charged $4, so we would like to allow children up to age 2 in for free,” said McCord. “From ages 2-5, admission will be $4. Admission for ages 55 and over will be $4.”
Summer passes have been lowered. Individual season passes went from $85 to $75, while family season passes went from $225 to $210. The family pass is for immediate family only and children must be 18 or younger.
Left unchanged are the group admission and school rates. Groups, which must be at least 25 individuals and paid in advance, will remain $4 each. Schools pay $3 per student, a rate that is only available to schools in Warren County.
Increased expenses is the reason given for charging $1 more to individuals age 6 to 54.
“We compared 2011 to last year, 2018,” said McCord. “Roughly, our expenses have gone up close to $19,000. We are also looking to implement The Square at the pool which will allow us to accept credit cards. It’s a 2.75 percent charge for those who decide to use the credit card. That would be another reason for the slight increase.”
The Square is a card processing service that allows its users to accept both credit and debit cards. Until now, the pool has been cash only in both admission and concessions. The pool, not the user, would be charged 2.75 percent.
McCord said the pool generated $150,000 in admission fees last year and if half of that was collected using cards, the cost to the city would be $2,062. That estimate does not include paying with a card for concessions.
Alderman Mike Neal voiced a complaint he received about people being turned away at the gate.
Pool capacity is 800. At that point, visitors must be turned away.
“We are looking at allowing pool passes to get in 15 minutes before we open,” said McCord. “They would be able to get in earlier and get their own space. When we are already maxed out, I don’t know how to avoid that.”
Mayor Ben Newman suggested that the last 10 be saved for season pass holders, “Once it gets to 790, you could stop letting people in unless they have a pool pass. That’s the only other thing I can think of.”
No decision was made about offering The Square or allowing season pass holders into the pool 15 minutes early.
