Reflections on the Past Year and Exciting Plans Ahead

Dear East Park Pool Members,

As we close down another fun-filled season, we want to take a moment to reflect on the past and give you a glimpse of what lies ahead. Although a lot has happened at EPP in the previous several years, an annual newsletter has not been one of them. We thank you for your patience with this aspect of EPP operations as we look forward to keeping our ongoing membership better informed of all that happens to keep EPP alive.

Returning to the EPP Board of Directors for the 2024 season are Brian Tyson (BT) as President, Jessica Hoffer as Vice President, Sarah Waters as Secretary, Sara Pearcy as Membership Chair, James and Alejandra Wernicke as Social Media and Marketing Chair, Bob Darlington as Maintenance Chair and Carl McElhinney as Certified Pool Operator and Life Guard Liaison. Bookkeeping and Treasury are now handled by James A. Dinkel, P.C., CPA.

In 2023, we had approximately 250 family and individual memberships. Your continued support is the backbone of our community pool. We had a blast with all the activities this summer and are already looking forward to next year in the events calendar. A massive shoutout to all members who volunteered their time at work sessions and made improvements. Thank you to the members that attended the annual all-members meeting. Your feedback is appreciated and being addressed, and one of our board goals for the upcoming year is to foster better communication with the members and staff. Your dedication keeps East Park Pool thriving.

Your membership fees were pivotal in completing essential projects over the last few years, including ongoing maintenance of aging infrastructure such as supporting an ever-settling and deteriorating concrete pool deck, diagnosing and fixing sump pump failures and failing drain and plumbing system issues, updating pool deck furniture, incorporating solar heated water to kiddie pool, incorporating a pool pass program, reviving our soda machines, providing computer and printer to guard shack, providing landscaping maintenance and trash hauling services as well as providing the funds required for payroll, internet, utilities etc. Obviously, the work is never done, and we have the kiddie pool drain at the top of our repair list for the upcoming season. Remember, your fees maintain our facilities and support the community. We’re proud to offer employment opportunities to our student lifeguards, ensuring a safe environment for all our members.

This year, we had total expenditures of $102,702 compared to last year’s $103,477. Our revenues for this year were $88,497 compared to 2022’s $106,436. We are committed to keeping membership fees affordable next year despite these fluctuations. This is no small task as minimum wage increases and pool expenses/issues are ever-increasing. We are currently facing a 25% swell in labor costs due to the minimum wage going from $12/hr to $15/hr. We are increasing membership fees by 5% in hopes of beginning to accommodate. We thank you for your understanding in this regard as we strive to keep East Park Pool running safely and facilitate our collective fun.

Our website management experienced quite the wrench in the works this year as our previous manager went MIA, essentially locking us out and handicapping several basic systems such as updating pool information, receiving membership funds through our PayPal account, and utilizing our new pool pass program. But worry not, we’ve created and appointed a new board member chair for social media and technology. This will ensure our website, social media, and systems like card scanners remain updated and functional. If you have suggestions, feedback, or questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at board@eastparkpool.org.

We also experienced some difficulty and complaints concerning our lifeguard services this past season and are working to remedy these issues in the future. Please keep in mind that providing a full-service lifeguard crew is difficult given our very small labor pool and limited time availability with students/employees needing to attend various schools at various times both in starting and ending the swim season as well as coordinating summer travel plans all while juggling ever-changing weather conditions and guard requirements at the pool. As soon as we acquire, train, employ, and enjoy strong/healthy guard management, they quickly move on as they are graduating teenagers moving out of LA and on to their futures, so every season is a new management structure and crew. Our guard crew has always been a strong suit of ours with minimal complaints compared to what we hear happening at other pools, and aside from the usual list of complaints, we enjoy a lot of positive feedback as well concerning our guard crew’s ability and professionalism. We thank all members for their patience, consideration, and criticism in helping us provide a safe and fun environment for both members and employees to enjoy every summer.

Again, thank you for your patience in receiving regular communications from EPP operations. We look forward to providing more regular newsletters and schedules of events such as movie nights, floaty nights, holiday parties, and work parties for all members to participate in and enjoy. Thank you for being a part of the East Park Pool community. We eagerly await the fun times next year has in store for us.

Stay splashing,

The East Park Pool Team