Hello Fellow Members:
The Board thanks all members for their participation and support this season! We can all now turn our focus to reimagining a member experience based on our desire for increased activity and enjoyment through new facilities. All of us are investing in the vision we share through our mission and core beliefs and our Reimagine Capital Improvement Project.
Below please find a few points of interest for membership as the pool season is now complete and at least the first of two installments on everyone’s capital assessment fee has been paid.
Membership Stats
About sixty(60) memberships were resigned in 2024. This is about 2x the norm, but only an additional ten(10%) turnover of total membership. The main reason for the increased turnover from prior years was our capital assessment, as families more seriously considered current and future pool usage. We will begin extending invites to our Waitlist this month.
Capital Project Financing
Our finances are as we expected as we head into the off-season. We still have significant work to do to collect needed funds through our capital assessment. We also need to onboard new members. Both of these finance objectives will bring in necessary funding to support our Reimagine Capital Improvement Project, but we remain on track.
A common question we get involves how new members will contribute. As is often common practice for membership organizations, future new members will also participate in capital project funding. They will do so through contributions to an ongoing capital fund. Beginning with the 2025 season, new members will contribute $150/yr for each of their first five(5) years of membership. This keeps initial year costs to join our pool within 10% of what current members paid, while also requiring new members to share in capital project costs. It also builds a fund for future capital needs years down the road.
Capital Project Timeline
We submitted our first permit application to Mecklenburg County in August, received feedback, and we are making adjustments for an updated secondary application. The permitting process may ultimately affect our final design, engineering and construction plans, but we do not expect a material difference from what is shared on our website. We will keep you posted. Regardless, the timeline we expect to stick to still has us beginning demo and construction this fall and completing the project before our next pool season.
More Website Improvements Coming
Our website is – and will increasingly become – the best source of information regarding your membership and our pool. By the time we open next season, but possibly not before, we plan to launch new features on our website. Improvements include but are not limited to:
Member Profile Section – Like with most membership organizations, you will have a profile section that you access through a username & password. You will be able to track your payables and payment history on your account, request membership roster changes, etc.
Blog Posts – Instead of monthly newsletters, you will read posts on our website and be alerted via email should you choose not to unsubscribe. This will solve for the cost and sometimes the difficulty in receiving newsletters built and delivered through 3rd party apps.
Gate Attendants & Lifeguards
This past season marked another new beginning at the Swimming Hole. You gave members’ children too young to be a lifeguard – but mature enough to assume the responsibilities of a real job – the chance to be a Gate Attendant.
Never forget our lifeguards! While there is always room for learning and growing in that role, we owe a big big thank you to our lifeguards who truly take ownership of and pride in their positions!
Expectations in both roles for next year will be moving to a level higher than in years past. Position responsibilities will expand to coincide with added amenity resulting from the Reimagine Project. We expect to hire young people who have a sense for anticipatory service. We will focus on cleanliness and attention to detail. The job will be more rewarding and fun. The member experience should improve.
Thank you,
Board of Directors
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out to The Swimming Hole at membership@theswimminghole.club