Vick: Aquatics center makes sense for city

City council candidate Thomas Candelaria in his editorial brings up some interesting points about the proposed aquatics center being a financial burden on the citizens of Maricopa. While I do oppose government waste, I do not think the aquatics center is destined to be a financial burden if approached correctly.

The most obvious examples of aquatics centers that generate revenue would be large theme parks such as Knott's Soak City or Wet ‘n’ Wild. Now, I’m not advocating that we embark on such a large undertaking, however, a great example of a fine aquatics center is the facility offered in Surprise, Ariz. If you provide more than just a pool and offer attractions like slides, flumes, zero-depth pools, a lazy river, etc., there will be a great draw for paying visitors. Being a former resident of Surprise, I will say its aquatics center was often occupied to stated capacity while maintaining low fees.

An aquatics center could make sense for Maricopa if it can demonstrate the ability to operate profitably such that the debt incurred to build the place can be returned to the residents in the form of lower taxes or increased availability of services. There are several potential areas of revenue for such a park such as the admission fees (adult, children, out-of-city resident rates), concession stand revenue, special events, parties, swim lessons, advertising space and locker rentals.