By Kevin Boneske
Staff Writer
ASHWAUBENON – Changes in admission fees are being proposed for next year after Ashwaubomay Lake reported a net loss in 2018.
The village’s aquatics coordinator, Melody Escoto, and Rex Mehlberg, parks, recreation and forestry director appeared Tuesday, Sept. 18, before the Ashwaubenon Parks and Recreation Board to present this year’s financial report for the lake.
The two reported expenses of $132,937.50 and revenue of $126,328.61 for a loss of $6,608.89.
“We didn’t come out on the positive end, which is disappointing, unfortunately,” Escoto said. “Some of those (factors attributing to the net loss) are kind of things that can’t be helped. Our electricity bill and our water bill were higher than they have been in the past.”
Escoto noted three spotlights at the lake are now turned on at night during when the facility is closed, at the request of the Public Safety Department, along with the steady flow of water there during the summer.
Financial figures provided to the board show an increase of more than $1,000 from the previous year for gas and electric expenses, from $2,768 to $3,882.28; water fill up and maintenance, from $21,332.21 to $22,636.56; and lake supplies, $4,891 to $6,745.73.
Mehlberg noted the lake was fully staffed with life guards this summer, which was warmer than last year, with the cost of lake personnel increasing by almost $6,000 to $57,768.27.
“What winds up happening when you have a warmer summer is that you (need to) have enough people there all day long where you really can’t send anyone home,” he said. “You don’t close early as much, and you don’t have days off as much, and so that plays with the staff numbers and the staff expenses.”
Mehlberg also pointed out more people this year took advantage of passes, for which the revenue increased by $3,000 to $8,980, but ticket sales decreased by more than $4,000 to $82,782.75.
“You lose money on the passes (that are) a better deal for the public, but that hurts your individual revenue,” he said.
Mehlberg said one of the things being proposed for 2019 is a likely increase in the cost of passes to gain revenue.
“It’s still going to benefit the families to buy, and individuals to buy, a pass, but it also won’t hurt as much, price point-wise,” he said.
Duck Creek Quarry competition
Ashwaubomay Lake reported total attendance for 2018 of 25,879, an increase of almost 400 from last year, with the attendance figures also noting the facility is now competing with Duck Creek Quarry Park in Howard.
“We’ve got competition with a free beach with one of our neighboring municipalities to the north,” Mehlberg said. “They advertise on Facebook, and there’s a lot of families that are definitely using that. We think we’ve got a wonderful product in terms of it is an enclosed area, and it is staffed, and it is safe and it is guarded. There’s emergency procedures in effect. But the bottom line is there’s a lot of people (using the Duck Creek Quarry). We’ve never had that competition before.”
Youth admission
Following what Mehlberg termed as a “little bit off-year” with revenues not exceeding expenditures Ashwaubomay Lake as they have in recent years, board members also heard about a proposed change to the youth admission fees for next year.
Escoto said free admission for youth age 3 and under, which was been in effect since 1974, is proposed to change for next year so that only children under age 2 would still be admitted free and youth ages 2-17 would be charged a fee.
“I think a lot of places are going like that,” she said. “I personally have a three-year-old (son)… So I don’t think doing that under 2 is free would be looked at poorly, but it’s also quite a bit of revenue that would come in if we just changed that age range.”
Escoto noted admissions for 2018 showed 1,719 under age 3 were admitted free.
Though pools typically don’t make money, Mehlberg said the goal next year is for Ashwaubomay Lake to cover its costs and once again be operating in the black.