Posted on the Be Active Decatur website…

Glenlake Pool is closed today due to equipment issues. We apologize for the inconvenience and invite you to swim at Ebster or McKoy Pool.

We have staff working to fix the problems and will reopen as soon as possible.

Photo courtesy of BeActive Decatur

Not a ton of money, but considering that most city pools lose money, it’s a reportable feat.

Asst. City Manager Lyn Menne provided this info at the end of the Decatur City Commission meeting last night.

With the Decatur pool season closed as of Labor Day, the final numbers showed that the City of Decatur made roughly $2,000 off its pool facilities again this year, with revenue of $169,500 and pool contracting fees totaling $167,600.

Also of interest according to the report, 70% of pool users this year were residents vs 30% non-residents.

Decatur Active Living Director Greg White writes in…

Decatur residents for your active living experience Glenlake pool is open today from 10am-6m.  Special thanks to Dynamo Pool Company for working diligently to get the pool open today and the City of Decatur.  Enjoy the pool and have a great Memorial Day.  During the summer please visit Glenlake, Ebster or McKoy pool as you stay active.  For more information visit www.decaturga.com

From Decatur Active Living’s Director Greg White…

Decatur residents your safety and health are our top concerns. The Glenlake pool is closed today due to filtering and equipment issues. The pool management company and the City of Decatur have been working diligently for the last 72 hours to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. In the interim please visit the two City of Decatur pools at McKoy or Ebster. We hope to have Glenlake pool open as soon as possible and will post updates.

Probably the most interesting conversation at the Decatur City Commission meeting last night came about as the $151,750 annual contract with Dynamo Pool Services for the 2012 pool season.

The report from Active Living’s Jabari Cole noted that the pools took in a little more than $163,000 this past year from pool admissions fees.  This was actually $12,000 over the amount of last year’s contract with Dynamo, meaning the pools actually MADE money this past year, which according to City Manager Peggy Merriss is nearly unheard of in the world of city pool budgeting.  According to a comment from Mr. Cole, 65% is usually seen as a good return on pool funding.

That’s the good news.  The other side of the coin?

The pools are at capacity most of the year, especially at McKoy.  “I’m getting comments from citizens of Decatur that the pools are too crowded.”, Mr. Cole said at the meeting. He continued to confirm commissioner’s stated concerns, agreeing that “lots of people coming from outside the city to use our schools.”

Look for this issue to come up again soon, as both city staff and the commissioners were obviously quite concerned about overcrowding at Decatur’s public pools in the coming year.  Mr. Cole mentioned the lack of a price difference for daily passes for residents and non-residents, but worried about any sort of “enforcement”.

It looks like Decatur’s pools seem to be suffering the same fate of its popular school system.  Except they’re making some money in the process.