- April 25, 2024
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Some of the fees at the Palm Coast Aquatics Center may soon change.
Parks and Recreation Director James Hirst and Deputy Director Brittany McDermott presented several proposed fee changes, along with potential fees for the new Southern Recreation Facility being built on Belle Terre Parkway at the tennis complex, to the Palm Coast City Council at a March 14 workshop.
Both proposals are based on market research, Hirst said.
Aquatics Center fees to increase
Parks and Recreation is recommending that the city add a family pass for summer and remove the 50%-off twilight fee for the last two hours of pool access. The summer family pass would cost $150.
McDermott said Parks and Recreation is also looking to simplify the pass holder options. The limited family pass would be eliminated because few people use it, McDermott said.
The center would retain the monthly and quarterly individual passes at $25 and $65, respectively, while the individual and senior seasonal passes would increase to $240 for the individual seasonal pass and $210 for the senior pass.
The daily rates of $4 for adults and $3 for children and seniors would remain the same.
The fee hike on several of the passes is because of cost increases for pool maintenance materials and year-round services, Hirst said.
Mayor David Alfin asked staff to explore an option for trial memberships to increase engagement.
“I would love to find a way to encourage more residents who may not be current users of the facility to enjoy our amenities,” Alfin said.
The Southern Recreation Center
The new Southern Recreation Center at the tennis complex would cater to both tennis and pickleball players, and Parks and Recreation’s proposed fees are designed to reflect maintenance costs, Hirst said.
The center would continue to have passes for daily visits, a punch pass of 10 visits, a limited monthly pass, a monthly-paid annual, a junior annual and a single annual pass. Residents could then choose between a pickleball pass, tennis pass or a combination pass.
The current rates for tennis would rise in some cases — the monthly-paid annual going from $45 to $50, the limited monthly pass to $30, and the junior annual to $175. The annual adult pass, the punch pass and the daily rates would stay the same.
Pickleball rates would be lower than tennis rates: $7 for daily passes, $60 for the punch pass, $15 for the limited monthly pass, $25 for the monthly annual fee, $100 for the junior’s annual pass and $250 for the adult annual pass.
That price difference is because tennis courts require more maintenance than pickleball courts, Hirst said.
Meanwhile, the Recreation Center would have fees comparable to the Palm Coast Community Center, Hirst said. Rates would be hourly and differentiate between business hours and after-hours, as well as for-profit and nonprofit events.
