New Swim Center Fees Approved In West Hartford

WEST HARTFORD, CT — Starting Friday, Sept. 1, it will cost just a little bit more to use the town's Cornerstone Aquatics Center, home to two state-of-the art indoor municipal swimming pools.

The West Hartford Town Council voted 7-0 last week on a new set of fees to use the facility, which is located at 55 Buena Vista Road, West Hartford.

According to West Hartford Town Manager Rick Ledwith, the fees have not changed since January 2021 and, since then, costs to operate have increased, especially regarding labor, where minimum wage has increased by $3 an hour (25 percent) since then.

"The implementation of some of these modest increases to a couple of different programs offered at Cornerstone would allow us to offset increases in our operational costs which are primarily driven by the $3 increase in our hourly minimum wage over that same time period," Ledwith said Aug. 22.

As a result, monthly swim memberships are going up anywhere from 1.2 percent to 2.7 percent, according to the town.

The fees, however, will not increase for residents with disabilities, full-time students and active military members, whose montly rates will remain at $36.

Rates, however, will increase by $1 for residents and non-residents, including senior citizens.

As a result, it will costs $44 a month for residents, $37 a month for senior residents, $64 a month for non-residents and $57 a month for non-resident seniors.

Rates are also increasing by $1 per month for family and couple memberships.

In addition, $1 increases were approved for single-day swim admissions, with fees ranging from $8 a visit for a resident child to $16 a visit for a non-resident adult.

Adjustments were also made for swim lesson fees, according to the approved resolution by the council.

Ledwith said the fee increases still compare favorably with area towns' swimming centers and they would generate an estimated $38,000 to $40,000 extra in revenue.

That, he said, would help the town's indoor swimming facility to operate in the black and avoid an expected deficit.

Council members easily supported the fee increases with no discussion.

For the resolution text, including a comprehensive list of all Cornerstone fee adjustements, click on this link.

For the minutes of the Aug. 22 West Hartford Town Council meeting, click on this link.

For more information, including schedules, at the Cornerstone Aquatics Center, click on this link.