The entrance to Freedom Springs Aquatic Park on Thursday in Greenwood. The day pass fee for non-residents has been raised to $15.
Noah Crenshaw | Daily Journal
Fees are going up for non-residents to visit Freedom Springs Aquatics Park in Greenwood.
The Greenwood Parks and Recreation Board voted Tuesday to raise the flat day pass admission fee for non-residents from $12 to $15 starting Friday. Non-residents are also no longer eligible for season passes, and those who purchased non-resident season passes prior to June 6 will still be able to use the passes for the 2023 season, according to the Greenwood Parks and Recreation Department.
Additionally, non-residents are not eligible for Splash Cards, and while they are still eligible for shelter rentals, they are not eligible for 50% off admissions and concessions, officials say.
The choice to raise fees at Tuesday night’s meeting was because it was the board’s first meeting since the pool opened for the season, said Rob Taggart, parks and recreation executive director. Increasing the non-resident fee was a reaction to capacity issues.
“We saw that we were almost hitting capacity about every weekend since we opened, but unfortunately that frequency was starting to turn families away from utilizing the Greenwood public amenity,” Taggart said.
By increasing the non-resident fee, the city is trying to Greenwood residents. The pool is funded by Greenwood residents, and officials want to make sure they have the ability to enjoy it, he said.
“We’re certainly not prohibiting non-residents from visiting Freedom Springs, not at all,” Taggart said. “We’re just asking the non-residents to pay an (increased) user fee in order to utilize a Greenwood amenity.”
Officials also looked at attendance rates at the aquatic center before raising rates. It was a 50/50 ratio between resident and non-resident guests at Freedom Springs on any given day, Taggart said.
“We’re hopeful that that fee increase will help level this ratio and prioritize Greenwood residents,” he said.
