Aquatic Center Financial Details Exposed

UPDATE: 10/29/19

Until 3 weeks ago, City officials had maintained for months that they could not tell the public what membership fees or operating losses would be at their new $72M aquatic center because they had not been finalized.

The Mayor asked citizens to "Trust" her, and that all the details would be forthcoming as soon as plans were finalized and the bond had passed.

But when NoToCamasPoolBond.com obtained a copy of the secret document which revealed all the information they'd been hiding- including $800/year membership fees and $850K annual operating losses- everything changed.

To watch the Mayor's denials, click here: (at 1:17:03) https://youtu.be/ZDQqmES5NB4?t=4623

Below is our original story:

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(10/4/2019: CAMAS, WA.)

For months, Camas City officials have told taxpayers that they could not provide more details concerning the anticipated costs and projected losses on the proposed $72M aquatic center because they were not yet determined. As recently as Thursday's final Open House hosted by the City's paid consultants, City Administrator Pete Capell, under marching orders from his only boss who can hire or fire him (Mayor Shannon Turk) has maintained that the operating details are not available becasue they haven't been finalized. In her remarks at the State of the Community address, Mayor Turk claimed, “We can talk about different locations and about different things happening (at the center) after the ballot passes.”..."

Concerned citizens have been asking for months to inspect the financial pro-formas, which should break down financial details of the massive $72M pool proposal- including anticipated revenues and expenses. But those reports have not been made available. On August 28, Parks and Rec Commission Chairman Randy Curtis was asked if he had these documents to which he claimed he did not. He also claimed he did not know if they even existed. Parks and Rec manager Jerry Acheson supported Curtis' response with the same answers.

While more informed citizens began to demand that city officials provide these budgets, their requests continued to fall on deaf ears. They were told that until the City finalized the plan, figures like annual membership costs or monthly user fees could not be determined. Remember, they'll have more answers after you give them the money.

But in our investigation into these important financial calculations, NoToCamasPoolBond.com has obtained a copy of the working document they did not want voters to see. Not yet, at least. Not until all public meetings had been concluded, and preferably for the City, not before the actual vote on the $78M bond had taken place.

You can view the complete document in .XLS format HERE.

You can view the complete document in .PDF format HERE.

Now, it becomes more apparent exactly why these numbers were not shared, as they for the first time, reveal the massive operating losses and huge user fees the City anticipates for the giant aquatic center.

In the same old tired and road weary sales pitch, light on details and answers to the real questions citizens have asked, Capell marched out the slideshow and 20 minute rehash that attendees had already heard at Open House 1 and the State of the Community address. But he did release a single answer that had not been heard by anyone before. The projected annual operating loss for the center had jumped from $300K to $850K- an increase of almost 300%. Remind you, that figure isn't the operating cost of the facility. $850K is the projected operating LOSS of the facility, which will be paid by taxpayers for the next 20 years or more.

That figure matches the projected loss found inside this newly discovered report, which causes us to believe the report is authentic and genuine. The report has been privately circulated among City Councilors and select members of the Yes campaign for at least the last 2 weeks, and well before last Thursday's Open House, where direct questions regarding membership fees were rebuffed by City leaders and explained away as not yet being calculated or available because the plan had not been finalized.

Here is what the report reveals:

Profit/Loss Summary

Projected annual operating revenues: $2.28M

Projected annual operating expense: $3.12M

Projected annual operating loss: $843K (representing a 73% recovery estimate)

Membership Fees

Annual:

Family: $800

Senior Couple: $525

Senior: $350

Youth: $350

Adult Couple: $675

Adult: $450

Non-residents will be charged 15% more than these projected resident fees

Number of Memberships needed to reach the $850K annual operating loss:

2055

Fulltime Staff:

1 X Community Center Manager $71,000 * 1 X Aquatics Supervisor $65,500 * 1 X Recreation Supervisor General $65,000 * 1 X Recreation Supervisor Fitness $65,500 *

1 X Maintenance Foreman $54,500 * 2 X Custodian $44,000/each * 2 X Front Desk Supervisor $38,500/each * 2 X Head Lifeguard $38,500/each *

* plus an additional 35% for benefits package

The report breaks into some detail both sides of the proposed ledger. But the results are disturbing, and taxpayers would be on the hook for even greater operating losses if they were unable to achieve the lofty membership goals.

How many of the required 2055 memberships would come from other health clubs currently operating in and around Camas? Unless Camas plans on doubling it's population before 2021, the answer is most likely all of them. It's called Zero Sum Game. It defines a dynamic where the size of the pie is set, and the only way you can increase the size of your slice, is to take it away from another person's slice.

We will spend the next weeks dissecting this report, as finally we have an insight into what they haven't wanted us to see.

The real numbers are now exposed, and not surprisingly, they don't seem to match up with what we've been told.