Last modified: Monday, March 28, 2005 1:09 PM PST JESSICA KELLER | ARGUS OBSERVER Senior citizens exercise in the senior water aerobics class Friday morning from 11 a.m. to noon under the instruction of senior volunteer Bob Garland. Water aerobics is one of the classes available at the Aquatic Center, which is facing closure as a result of city financial problems. Aquatic Center looks at rate hike to escape budget woes Jessica Keller - Argus Observer ONTARIO - Ontario Aquatic Center patrons should expect a rate boost if the facility stays open past June. "If we're allowed to stay open, rates will go up as of June 1," Ontario Parks and Recreation Director Kathy Daly said. Daly said the Parks and Recreation Board has been exploring options for creating more revenue in an attempt to keep the pool open. The most feasible option as of now, Daly said, is an increase in rates. Daly does not have any set numbers for the proposed rate increase but will probably know more this week. The Parks Board, which met Thursday afternoon, only agreed to move forward with a process to gather the numbers. Those figures, along with pool revenues and pool expenditures will be determined in the following weeks and then presented to the budget committee. Daly said it will be up to the budget committee to decide whether the city wants to keep the pool open and subsidize the difference. Daly said in determining a fee increase, the Parks Board wants to keep the rates affordable to patrons, but still generate more revenue. "The rates have been so low in the past, and we just need to help pay for what their getting," she said. The city has been besieged with pleas by residents and non-residents to keep the Aquatic Center open after it was announced it would most likely be closed to save money in light of general fund shortfalls. The rate increase is the most viable option to save the Aquatic Center the city has currently, Daly said. "It's just a matter of whether the budget committee is willing to subsidize it if the city wants to spend the money," she said. "It's too late in the game to try and get a recreation district going. So that's not something we're looking into right now." City officials had also been looking at a pool in Pendleton, which was reportedly self-sustaining, to see if the city could borrow any ideas for its own pool, but Daly said that was not possible because Pendleton's pool is an outdoor pool with water park features. "There's no strictly indoor facility that breaks even or even makes money," Daly said, adding it would be "a real feather in my cap" to make it happen and make the Aquatic Center the only self-sustaining indoor pool in the state. The Aquatic Center also does not have enough features to attract more interest, Daly said, such as racquetball courts or an indoor climbing wall other recreation centers have. The weight and gym room is simply too small to generate that interest. For the pool to become self-supporting, an outdoor pool, possibly with a spray park, could be added on, but there are no plans to do any sort of addition because of the money shortage, Daly said. "If funds were available in the future to add on, after that was paid off, most likely we'd be able to generate more revenue to offset any deficits," she said, adding that's not an option at the moment. "It's like a pipe dream," she said. Daly said, as of now, she can only hope a rate increase is acceptable to the budget committee as a way to keep the Aquatic Center open. Until that's decided, the fate of the center remains unknown. "The hardest part is not knowing," she said Daly said she believes the Aquatic Center is something the community needs and hopes it will be possible. "We need to keep it open," she said. "I've been here 20 years, and I just can't see it close."