UP City Council Raises Price of Pool Day Passes to $8

The heat index isn’t the only number going up this summer.

University Park’s city council voted May 21 to raise the price for single day admission at the Holmes Aquatic Center to $8. The $3 fee increase is the first adjustment in about two decades, director of parks and recreation Sean Johnson told the council.

The increase is part of an effort to recover a larger percentage of the costs incurred by the city’s parks and recreation department, Johnson explained. He said that the price hike will raise additional revenue and may encourage residents to purchase seasonal pool passes. 

More residents with pool passes would mean less time at the front gate for aquatics center staff, and would assist the city with security measures.

The city’s parks advisory committee recommended the price increase after considering pool admission fees in cities comparable to University Park, Johnson said. Daily pool passes at the Highland Park swimming pool cost $7, according to Highland Park’s website.

The price of seasonal pool passes has not changed. Resident pool passes are available for $70, and non-resident pool passes cost $150. The Holmes Aquatic Center opens for the 2024 season on Saturday, May 25. The pool will remain open through Labor Day.

In other business at its May 21 meeting, the city council:

• Approved a $331,000 contract with Dunaway Associates for the construction and schematic design of Centennial Park, which was formerly known as Goar Park. Work on the park’s redevelopment and additional features celebrating the city’s centennial will begin immediately.

• Approved a request by Hockaday student Rabel McNutt to display “In God We Trust” within the city council chambers. McNutt made the request at the council’s Feb. 20 meeting.