Following neighborhood opposition, plans have been shelved by the Burlington Community Pool Board, Inc. to develop a beer garden/beer patio facility at the Burlington Community Aquatic Center at Devor Park, 394 Amanda St.
BURLINGTON — The Burlington Community Pool Board, Inc. has suspended plans for a proposed 30-by-30 beer garden/beer patio facility adjacent to the city-owned Burlington Community Aquatic Center at Devor Park, 394 Amanda St. in Burlington.
“The Burlington Community Pool Board, Inc. has decided not to pursue a request to the City of Burlington Common Council for a license to serve beer and wine at Devor Park,” the board announced in a Friday news release. “We thank community members for their input on this proposal and appreciate your support as we continue to focus on the long-term success of the Burlington Community Aquatic Center.”
Volunteer management of pool
For 52 years, the nine-member, all volunteer Burlington Community Pool Board has managed and operated the Burlington Aquatic Center at no cost to local property taxpayers. Membership of the board includes representatives of the Burlington Kiwanis, Lions and Rotary service clubs, a Burlington City Council representative, a Wagner Foundation representative, and several at-large members.
After the Burlington Community Pool had outlived its useful life on the site, the referendum-funded Burlington Community Aquatic Center was built at a cost of $5.3 million, opening on June 1, 2018.
Neighborhood opposition
While the board’s proposed beer garden/beer patio had received “overwhelming approval” from the city’s Park Board in June, Board President Darrel Eisenhart said widespread neighborhood opposition expressed at an Aug. 6 community open house convinced the board to withdraw its plans in the interest of being good neighbors.
“We listened to what the neighborhood had to say,” he said. “When we sought feedback from the neighborhood, there was opposition … all over the board. We dedicated to take a pause on it. If we went ahead with our proposal, it would be detrimental to the operation of the pool instead of a benefit. We felt it would be best if we not pursue this at this time.”
Noting a similar if much larger beer garden, The Landing, has been “very successful” at Hoyt Park Pool in Wauwatosa, Eisenhart said the board’s decision to table its plans, while “unanimous,” was “very disappointing.”
“For us, it was a way to continue to bring in additional revenue to operate the pool,” he said, noting the proposed limited-hours, “family friendly” beer garden/beer patio was hoped to generate an additional $10,000-20,000 annually in support of future repairs, renovations and improvements to the Burlington Community Aquatic Center to “keep it a Class-A facility” that will continue to “attract people to live in Burlington.”
Pool membership fees and swimming lesson fees are among the major revenue sources for underwriting pool operating costs.
“It was a small number, but it was another way to expand our revenue stream … to sustain us as we move forward,” Eisenhart said of revenue projection. “For us, it was an additional way to generate revenue for supporting the pool. People have to understand that there are no tax dollars involved with operating that pool successfully. Down the road, whether it’s 5 years, 10 years or 20 years out, things will need to be replaced and we will need to have those dollars.”
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August 17, 2020 at 04:30AM
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Burlington Pool Board suspends plans for adjacent beer garden - Journal Times
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