Recreation agencies considering new or renovated aquatic facilities must not forget this factor in their plans. A facility's management may make the difference between surplus and loss. For example, it is possible that some agencies overreacted to the extreme weather in 1995 and overstaffed their facilities. Since staff costs are the largest yet most controllable expense in aquatics operations, this reaction alone could spell the difference between loss and surplus. Yet, fiscal management for a public aquatic facility is a far more difficult task than it is for other facilities.
Seasonal operations live and die on the weather.
If one thing is predictable about weather in Illinois, it is its unpredictability. With frequent weather changes it is sometimes difficult to adjust to take advantage of opportunities or make adjustments to prevent shortfalls. Vety often an aquatic supervisor gets financial reports on the operation weeks too late. With consideration toward the pace of the summer, record-keeping and reporting systems can take some of the guesswork out of aquatic management. Apparently, only careful design and management can make the difference between big successes and failures.