Council Member Recommends Change to Natatorium Rate Structure

A handful of Cuyahoga Falls City Council members met with Natatorium officlals on Monday night in a closed-door work session to better understand the fitness center's current rate structure and to explore membership alternatives.

Council members Terry Mader, Carrie Snyder and Diana Colavecchio conferred with Cuyahoga Falls Parks and Recreation Superintendent Bill Lohan, Assistant Superintendent Ed Stewart and Facilities Director Lori Visner on what next steps could be taken. 

"(The Natatorium's rate structure) can still be altered to provide a discount to a second adult in a home in order to solve the discriminatory nature of the current structure; however, it would result in a revenue shortage of about $49,000 annually," wrote Colavecchio in an email to Patch on Tuesday.

I suggested that the Park and Recreation Board reconvene on this issue, do its own due diligence and then make its own determination on whether to alter the
Nat discount structure."

She added that the five-figure shortfall could be absorbed by paying down less debt each year, but a spending decision like that would have to come from the parks board.

In recent weeks, the controversy on whether or not to make gay couples eligible for the gym's w/spouse discount has surrounded the city council and parks board. 

The issue was broached by when he and his husband, Coty May, were recently told by Natatorium staff that they could not receive the discount because their Washington D.C.-based marriage wasn't recognized in Ohio. 

Under its current rate policy, the Nat only allows married men and women who are recognized by the Ohio Constitution to receive discounted memberships.

In early February, the council asked the parks board to decide if the rate structure should be changed. , the board voted 3-2 against a motion raised by chairman Tim Gorbach to change the gym's membership rates.

Over the last few weeks, the council discussed creating an ad hoc committee to analyze the current rate policy, study various statistics and data, gleam information from neighboring gyms and report their findings to the city council.

As of Tuesday, Colavecchio said a committee will not be formed as the final decision now iies with the parks board.

Council members Terry Mader and Carrie Snyder couldn't be reached for comment regarding the closed-door work session.

How do you think the parks board should rule? What kind of changes should be made, if any, to the Nat's rate structure?