Operation of the forest swimming pool on Rosenhöhe becomes more expensive

Rising costs for staff, cleaning, electricity and heating, the effects of the federal government's cuts to Mainarbeit and unforeseen repairs mean that the operation of the forest swimming pool on Rosenhöhe is becoming more expensive. As a result, the city councillors now have to allocate significantly more money than before - and this year already.

The annual subsidy amounted to €1.4 million in 2023, and €1.85 million was already planned for 2024 when the budget was approved in November 2023. Due to unforeseeable developments, the city now has to provide a one-off additional 640,000 euros for these two years. At least the permanent costs will only increase slightly by an estimated €25,000 in 2025 compared to the originally planned increase to €1.85 million. The municipal council will ask the city councillors to approve the additional payment for 2023 and 2024 at their next meeting.

The operation of the swimming pool already led to a loss in 2023 that was €351,000 higher than originally planned. The EOSC, as the pool operator, was able to settle the deficit at the beginning of this year from the municipal subsidy for 2024. For this reason, and because these expenses have not fallen again in 2024 but remain at the now higher level, the originally planned subsidy for 2024 will no longer be sufficient until the end of the year. "This is expressly not a reason for criticism, on the contrary. I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank the EOSC, whose board has carried out this difficult work on a voluntary basis for decades," said Mayor Schwenke.

The reason for the loss in 2023 was additional expenses, particularly for personnel and energy. Personnel costs have increased by 246,000 euros compared to the previous year 2022. While foreseeable salary increases were of course taken into account, three new full-time positions had to be filled in the first full year after the pandemic. These are two pool supervisors and a second pool manager, who can also take over in the event of illness, so that the supervision required by law for public pool operations and school swimming is ensured at all times. There has long been a dispute between the German Bathing Society and the Ministries of Education and Cultural Affairs about the specific form this should take. In Offenbach, it has been regulated since 2023 that the higher safety level for the children is guaranteed, as was demanded again just 14 days ago by the Hessian Ministry of Education. A further position was required to replace two building management assistants whose personnel costs were previously reimbursed by MainArbeit, which was no longer possible due to the federal government's cuts to integration funds from January 2023.

Other cost drivers of around EUR 238,000 were the expenses for electricity (+36%) and district heating (+23%). Cleaning costs also increased significantly within a year: instead of EUR 94,000, the EOSC had to spend EUR 166,000 last year. The old service provider was unable to meet the requirements of the hygiene regulations during inspections by the specialist authorities.

Repair costs in particular are responsible for the provisional loss in the current year 2024. Damage to the sewer caused wastewater to flow back into the social building. The sewer inspection and subsequent makeshift repair amounted to 54,000 euros. An unplanned amount of 44,000 euros had to be spent on replacing the defective dosing system. In addition, legal and consulting costs of EUR 30,000 were incurred in connection with the spin-off of the pool operations from the association and the transfer of the leasehold property back to the City of Offenbach. Due to the extended opening hours for public bathing, cleaning costs have increased by 30 hours per month, resulting in additional costs of EUR 24,000 for the year as a whole.

"It is clear that the swimming pool in Offenbach will also need high subsidies from the municipal budget in the coming years," Mayor Schwenke makes clear and emphasizes: "The swimming pool is another example of the fact that the city will face extreme financial challenges in the coming years. The last remaining swimming pool in Offenbach is also very important for school swimming. Keeping it open is therefore a high priority."

Irrespective of the operation of the swimming pool, the condition of the buildings is also a priority.

As the previous operator association EOSC would not have been able to cope with the renovation measures on this scale, Sport und Freizeit GmbH Offenbach (SFO) took over the swimming pool on September 1, 2024. Operations were transferred from the EOSC to the new "best OF swim" GmbH. The new contract with the now full-time "best OF swim" provides for closer financial control than was the case with the EOSC's volunteers. They should not be burdened with more formalities than absolutely necessary. "Closer controlling will not make the operation any cheaper, we will just be aware of developments earlier, which will give us better opportunities to react in individual cases," concludes Mayor Schwenke.