It sucks to get hit with that OP. I agree with the other posters though.
Our pump broke last year and it was 5k to fix it. Our bathrooms are rundown too and we’ve had to pay for sewage repairs.
It’s expensive to run a pool especially one with older equipment now ageing out.

Pools are expensive to maintain and either maintence was under-budgeted for or something unexpected happened causing there to be a large repair cost. I'd guess the former because: (i) $2k for family dues + swim team + other stuff doesn't seem expensive for a pool; and (ii) they want to raise dues in addition to the special assesment.

Hopefully they hired some engineers and have a good idea of what the next 10-20 years of capital expenditures look like then budget appropriately.

I’m on a club board and costs have gone up quite a bit the last few years. Minimum wage hikes caused a pretty good jump and overall inflation has added to the costs too. I believe our management contract is going up 7% next year.

We are not close to having a waitlist, which can make it tough to build up reserves without dues increases. On the other hand, it can be tough to maintain membership numbers if dues are increasing. We did experience a nice membership bump in 2022 and 2023, but that dropped back again a bit last year and even more so this year.

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why pools with robust/growing waitlists don’t charge $50 or $75 to be on the waitlist with that amounted credited on your first year of membership.

It can be more hassle than it's worth, as that can be considered money in escrow and a bunch of rules come into place then. That also means it can't be used for operating expenses.

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why pools with robust/growing waitlists don’t charge $50 or $75 to be on the waitlist with that amounted credited on your first year of membership.

Many of them do.

Your dues are operational costs during season and MINOR repairs and maintenance in the off season. Any big projects is going to take more money.

Ask to see the financials. My guess is they had no reserver for big maintenance projects. That can be fine, as long as members are generally Ok with a big assessment now and then.

We have a pool in our backyard. It's about $3k total for opening, closing, and winter maintenance (a monthly checkup while the pool is closed), then $130/week for weekly maintenance including vacuuming/cleaning.

So.. you're paying a lot less than us, plus we had to pay $100k to get the pool installed in the first place!

I don’t understand why pools with robust/growing waitlists don’t charge $50 or $75 to be on the waitlist with that amounted credited on your first year of membership.

$2500 seems crazy and I wonder if there is some kind of financial mismanagement going on. What did they say the assessment is going to - if its not a specific unexpected expense that is questionable. I am getting the feeling that our pool is about to issue and assessment for rebuilding the bathhouse. Given how much our dues have gone up in the past few years I will not be happy. Maybe a high assessment and dues increase is a way to move the waitlist.

A one-time assessment for a major maintenance project or facilities upgrade is not all that unusual—this kind of thing is pretty common in shared spaces like condos. These assessments are often necessary to keep things safe and functioning long-term.

Also, having a waitlist does not cancel out the need for capital repairs. Dues usually go toward regular operating costs, not big-ticket infrastructure work.

Adding up your own swim team expenses, snacks, and other extras is specific to your situation and not really tied to the financial health of the pool itself. Those are optional costs that not every member pays.

And the bit about “Boomers’ grandchildren" is not fair. This kind of upkeep benefits everyone now and in the future. It is just part of responsible stewardship.

Stinks to have to shell out the extra money, I agree!

There are a lot of pools with very neglected physical facilities and it’s expensive to fix it and maintain it. Is your pool kind of a dump?

“In this economic climate?” If you hadn’t wasted thousands of dollars a year on a pool membership maybe you’d be doing fine like the rest of us. Instead you blow through money like it grows on trees then whine about it when you run out and blame it on the otherwise great economy. Sounds like a crap way to live.

Anonymous wrote:A pool membership is a luxury, it’s not a necessity. Leave if you’re too poor to afford it.

Or go to a cheaper pool because $2500 plus dues is insane.

A pool membership is a luxury, it’s not a necessity. Leave if you’re too poor to afford it.

We are at a pool that had to take out a 200K loan to get repairs required to pass inspection. Assessment ended up being a few hundred for each family for 3 years to cover it - and we aren't a large pool. This year I paid about $850 for dues plus assessment.

What in the world is your pool doing with $2500 per family of what I assume is a big membership list?

Our pool is saying if they don't charge families a lump sum payment of $2500 per family plus hike up dues, they may have to shut down (even though there is a long waiting list).

We were just adding up all the costs for swim team, and food donations, stroke and turn, guest passes and our current dues - and that's already $2000...We had a budget meeting where it was like if you can't do a lump payment we will let you make a 3-4 small payments with interest over a year or so. But the tone was very much like only ask for a payment plan under serious duress otherwise you want the pool to die. Does this seem normal? Especially in this economic climate? It feels like we are building a pool for the boomers grandchildren to enjoy as teens. It really skeeved us out - or maybe we are just naive.