Slow June Lands Apple Valley Aquatic Center Just Short of Summer Revenue Goal

Apple Valley’s was about $12,000 short of its revenue goal for the 2011 season.

But considering the slow start to the summer—about a dozen June days were too cold to attract patrons—the city’s aquatic center still had a “very good season, “ said Steve Skinner, a recreation superviser with the Apple Valley Parks and Recreation Department.

“June was terrible,” Skinner said. “It was freezing.”

With walk-in admission prices unchanged from 2010's $8.50, the aquatic center brought in about $582,500 in revenue this season, Skinner said; the goal was $595,000—$500,000 from admission and the rest from concessions and rentals.

But a hot July and dry August turned around the aquatic center’s performance, he said.

“People were just loving it,” he said. In addition to Apple Valley residents, many patrons come from Rosemount and Lakeville, which don't have their own water parks.

The aquatic center made about $20,000 less this year than in 2010, which was “as fine a pool summer as I have seen working in Minnesota,” Skinner said—only 15 days of that season were below 70 degrees.

The $612,000 revenue brought in during 2010 exceeded that year’s $600,000 goal. Last year also had the greatest attendance in recent years, at nearly 66,000 people to a little more than 61,000 this year.

Growth and New Additions

Since the city added major features to the aquatic center between the 2008 and 2009 summer seasons, the yearly revenue and attendance has grown.

With a lazy river and two new innertube slides, the aquatic center brought in more than 64,000 people and $451,000 in revenue in the benchmark 2009 year, compared to about 46,000 people and $289,000 in 2008, data show.

Walk-in admission rates went up from $6.50 in 2008 to $7.50 in 2009, and to $8.50 in 2010.

This summer, the aquatic center employed about 120 staff—mostly high school and college-age employees—who were “outstanding” as they braved the heat in shifts up to 12 hours long, Skinner said. Along with about 30 more employees at the Redwood Park pool, the parks and recreation department’s staff size doubles during the summer, he said.

The aquatic center employees monitored the usual activities at the water park, as well as new ones in 2011, like water walking.

Staff ran a two-week pilot of the water-walking exercise program in 2010, Skinner said, and during this past summer, 2,500 people came to walk the lazy river before opening or after closing, he said.

There was also demand from youth sports teams for athletic training in the water, Skinner said; the department has trained its own lifeguards there for 11 years, and is now venturing into training other athletes.

“The coaches are asking us for ideas,” Skinner said. “We’re going to give them a menu.”

Aquatic center staff might also be providing party menus in the future—there has been demand for the center to offer total-party packages of meals, cakes, party favors and games, Skinner said.