Head Lifeguard Charles Christiansen reported to the Grand Marais Park Board October 5, 2010 that from May through September, 4,575 Grand Marais Rec Park campers used the pool, generating approximately $13,725 minus some discounts and membership rates, which would represent one third of the total amount of revenue during that time. Campers made up one third of the total number of users for that time as well.
When the year is done, Christiansen said, the campground will have brought in about 20 percent of the pool’s revenue, three quarters of which was generated during the busiest months of July and August.
Park Manager Dave Tersteeg reported that the pool building’s 17-year-old main boiler, which heats the building, the pool, the hot tub, and the hot water in the locker rooms, has a major problem that would require $5-6,000 of repair. Fortunately, a used backup boiler was installed three years ago and is now acting as the primary boiler.
“We are in a dire situation at the pool in regard to the boiler,” said Tersteeg. He believes fixing the 80-percent-efficient boiler would not be cost-effective, but installing a new boiler that would be 90-95 percent efficient at a cost of $12-18,000 could result in a payback period of as few as two years. The cost of heating the building and the water is currently $50-60,000 a year, so a 10-15 percent increase in efficiency would save $5,000- 9,000 a year.
Park board member Todd Miller suggested that they try to find a boiler that could be transferred to a pool facility that will be part of the county’s new community center that is now in the planning stage.
An alternative measure, Tersteeg said, would be to continue to use the backup boiler as the primary boiler and to purchase a small backup boiler that would only be able to keep the building from freezing. The backup boiler could be a 100,000-gallon pool heater only, which could be transferred to the new pool if the pool sizes were similar.
The park board passed a motion to request authorization from the City Council to purchase a replacement heater that could be easily transferred to a new facility or sold secondhand when the new facility is built.
Christiansen reported that at least 20 people had showed up for log rolling the night before. The community is welcome to join the team or come and try it out Mondays and Tuesdays from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. Thisyear, participants have two logs to practice on instead of just one.
Three-quarters of the way through the year, the pool has brought in $54,422, a decrease of 3½ percent from last year.
Golf course
Gunflint Hills Golf Course Manager Mike Kunshier reported that so far, this year’s revenue was up 5 percent over last year’s revenue, and season passes brought in 18 percent more revenue than they did last year.
September’s revenue was down quite a bit – 28 percent — from last September, but in a separate phone interview, Dave Tersteeg noted that the weather last September was beautiful after a very cold summer, bringing in much more revenue than usual. October revenues have been good, however, and Tersteeg believes they might bring annual income up to more than 5 percent over last year’s income.
The end of the season is close, however. “It’s really slowing down up there,” Kunshier said.
The plan for the end of October was to work on equipment maintenance and sharpening.
Windstorm damage to pool roof
A windstorm that started October 26 brought major damage to the pool roof, pulling off all but the boards and letting rainwater into the building. An insurance adjuster reviewed the situation October 27 before the storm was even over, but the city will not know the extent of the damage until the insides of the walls are examined.
“We won’t know how much water got into the walls until we get someone to look at it closer,” City Finance Director Kim Dunsmoor said on October 28. In the meantime, the city planned to hire a contractor to tarp off the roof to prevent further damage. The deductible is $10,000.
Earlier in the week, the pool was closed for a day after its backup boiler went down because it needed to be cleaned out, a task considered to be routine maintenance. The main boiler is not functioning, and the city council recently denied a request to replace it.
A new community center with a pool is in the planning stages. It will be located either where the present community center sits or will be attached to the Cook County Schools complex.
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