City of Corona
Staff Report
400 S. Vicentia Ave.
Corona, CA 92882
File #: 22-0315
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 04/20/2022
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Community Services Department
SUBJECT:
License Use Agreement with Corona-Norco Family YMCA for Aquatic Programming.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The City has received a proposal from the Corona-Norco Family YMCA to assume operation of the City’s Aquatics Programming and use of the Auburndale Community Center Pool. The intention of this request is to enhance the quality, and increase the availability, of learn to swim classes, recreational swimming, and other aquatic activities for the City of Corona, which will directly benefit the Corona residents.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council:
a. Approve a License Use Agreement with the Corona-Norco Family YMCA to offer aquatic programming at the Auburndale Community Center.
b. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute the License Use Agreement with the Corona-Norco Family YMCA for Aquatic Programming, including making minor and nonsubstantive changes, if necessary.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The City of Corona has hosted aquatic programming since 1925 as both a popular recreation pastime and an essential life skill. These programs were originally hosted at the Corona Municipal Plunge and were moved to the City Park Pool in the mid-sixties. Aquatic programming was later expanded to the Auburndale Community Center and the Centennial High School Pool through a partnership with the Corona Norco Unified School District.
Presently, the City’s Aquatics Program is in a state of transition. The global pandemic forced the City City of Corona Page 1 of 4 Printed on 4/14/2022
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File #: 22-0315
Presently, the City’s Aquatics Program is in a state of transition. The global pandemic forced the City to scale back operations and focus on seasonal, semi-private classes under strict modification and limited group size. Additionally, the Auburndale facility has served as the City’s primary location for swim instruction since the closure of the City Park Pool. With offerings limited, the City explored options for relaunching these services, either as an internal program or through creative collaborative partnerships. Upon review, staff believes there is potential to provide greater service to the community through partnership opportunities.
In October 2021, the Community Services Director received an interest letter from the Corona- Norco Family YMCA (Exhibit 1) in expanding its services in Corona to include Aquatics Programing, a longtime staple service for traditional YMCA programs. This letter of intent was brought before the Parks and Recreation Commission for initial consideration at their regular meeting on November 9, 2021. While no formal action was taken, the Commission was largely in support and encouraged staff to continue to work with the YMCA to develop a more full-fledged program proposal to bring back at a future meeting.
ANALYSIS:
The Corona-Norco Family YMCA presented a program proposal (Exhibit 2) to the Parks and Recreation Commission on February 8, 2022. This proposal was also brought forward to the Committee of the Whole for discussion on April 13, 2022. The proposal outlines several key factors for consideration, including the YMCA’s qualifications as the largest provider of swim lessons in the country, their diverse program offerings, and ability to work with other City partners, including the School District, and community use groups, such as the Corona Aquatics Swim Team (aka “the CROCS”), to ensure pool access remains uninterrupted.
With this proposal, the City of Corona would remain as the property holder for the Auburndale pool; however, all programming and scheduling would be transferred from the City’s Recreation division to the purview of the YMCA through a License Use Agreement.
Under the terms of the agreement, the YMCA would handle all aspects of pool use, including scheduling, programming, and community access. The YMCA will seek opportunities to prioritize access for Corona residents, maintain affordable price points, and provide scholarship opportunities for qualifying families. The City will work with the YMCA to help market these new programs, continue to provide maintenance services to the pool, and facilitate the program’s handoff with the City’s key partners, such as the School District.
If approved, the YMCA has proposed to begin training, onboarding, and program development as soon as possible, with its first initial offerings available by May 2022. The YMCA would conduct a full summer of learn-to-swim classes consistent with what the City has previously offered to the community. From there, the YMCA proposes to move into year-round offerings to further expand different types of programming and provide greater access to the community. This partnership would support the City’s programming at the Auburndale Community Center Park area by expanding access opportunities to the surrounding neighborhood.
Any City part-time staff currently assigned to the aquatics program will be absorbed within the greater Community Services Department. Additionally, the YMCA will allow provisions for certified City of Corona Page 2 of 4 Printed on 4/14/2022
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File #: 22-0315
greater Community Services Department. Additionally, the YMCA will allow provisions for certified Lifeguard, Water Safety Instructor (WSI), and Pool Manager level staff to interview for positions with the YMCA should they assume operations of the Auburndale Pool.
As an independent operator separate from the City, the YMCA will be able to set their own pricing with the intent of maintaining affordable pricing for the community while still recovering costs for overall operations. The YMCA proposes their initial group lesson learn-to-swim series at $95 resident / $105 non-resident. Additional programming including recreation swim, lap swim, and group fitness rates will be determined by the YMCA as the program builds momentum. The YMCA is also positioned to provide scholarship options for income qualified families, which will greatly reduce barriers to access for this essential service.
COMMITTEE ACTION:
This item was brought before the Parks and Recreation Commission on November 9, 2021 and February 8, 2022, as well as the Committee of the Whole on April 13, 2022. The Commission and the Committee of the Whole supported staff bringing a License Use Agreement model before the City Council for final approval.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The City of Corona currently operates the Auburndale Pool at an amount of $60,600 annually. This includes regular maintenance, contract service to maintain appropriate chemical levels, and utility costs to operate the pump and water heater.
Staff proposes a fee of $3,000 a month, or $36,000 annually, be charged to the Corona- Norco Family YMCA to offset the City’s contract services for regular pool service to ensure that water conditions are held to a safe and usable standard. The YMCA will directly collect all program revenues to offset their own operation costs, staff time, supplies, and marketing. Fees for the YMCA would not be implemented until January of 2023 to allow the YMCA the necessary time to recruit staff and build a stable program foundation.
The City will continue to absorb the $24,600 in remaining overhead maintenance costs as currently budgeted within the General Fund. This will result in a $53,400 cost savings to the City in comparison to the City’s operating costs for aquatics programming under Recreation Services, where program revenues only recovered a portion of staffing costs, as outlined in the table below. If the License Use Agreement is approved by the City Council, the Community Services Department operating budget will be adjusted, for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2022 and Proposed Fiscal Year 2023, to account for the reduction in program costs and estimated revenue.
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City Budget Impact by Operator
YMCA Operations City Operations
Expenditures $60,600 Maintenance Costs $138,000 Maintenance, Staff, Training
Revenue $36,000 YMCA Use Agreement $60,000 Participant Fees TOTAL $24,600 General Fund Impact $78,000 General Fund Impact ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the commonsense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. This action is merely the acceptance change of service operators.
There is no possibility that the acceptance of the License Use Agreement will have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, no further environmental review is required.
PREPARED BY: JASON LASS, RECREATION SERVICES MANAGER
REVIEWED BY: ANNE K. TURNER, COMMUNITY SERVICES DIRECTOR Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - Letter of Intent
2. Exhibit 2 - YMCA Program Proposal
3. Exhibit 3 - License Use Agreement
4. Exhibit 4 - Presentation
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