A special meeting will be held on Monday in Atlantic, with regard to fees at the Sunnyside Swimming Pool. The Atlantic Parks and Recreation board says the special session will take place in the Council’s chambers at City Hall, beginning at Noon, Monday.

At Wednesday evening’s City Council meeting, City Administrator Doug Harris tried to dispel rumors the swimming pool fees had doubled. In a memorandum to the Parks and Rec Board Thursday, however, Harris said a miscommunication with former Parks and Rec Director Travis Garrett showed the fees were, in-fact, unintentionally doubled.

The fees for use of the pool have not changed in a while, and are below those of surrounding communities, according to Harris. At the Board’s last meeting, Garrett mistakenly said the 2010 fees were $150 for a seasonal family pass, and $75 for a seasonal single pass. Harris based his statements Wednesday night on those figures, when he said the rates had not doubled.

In fact, the rates adopted by the Parks and Rec Board at their last meeting, did double or nearly double the fees charged. Under the previously approved 2011 schedule, a family pass increased from $75 to $160, the single pass went from $50 to $90, and the daily pass went from two-to four-dollars.

Harris says under a proposed, revised 2011 schedule, the family pass would instead be $105, a single seasonal pass $70, and the daily pass three-dollars. Those are the fees the Parks and Rec Board will discuss during their meeting on Monday.

Doug Harris says “while no one likes to see fees go up, the new fees will only cover about 31% of the total cost of operating the pool, and will be less than the average fees in surrounding communities.”

Fee Schedule comparison:

Family Pass – Atlantic, $105; Avoca $170; Creston $125; Red Oak $100. Average: $125.

Single Pass – Atlantic, $70; Avoca $85; Creston $60; Red Oak $85; Average: $75.

Daily pass – Atlantic, $3; Avoca $5; Corning $4; Creston $3; Red Oak $4. Average: $3.80