Southpinellas: Some seniors say rise means fewer dips

Some seniors say rise means fewer dips

By DEBORAH HIRSCH

ST. PETERSBURG -- Angry about losing her senior citizen discount, one St. Petersburg resident said she will sit in her bathtub rather than go to the neighborhood pools in protest of the recent change.

"I just won't give them the satisfaction," said Patricia Reiss, 70, who wrote a letter to the City Council expressing the displeasure of 32 senior patrons at the North Shore Pool. Since the rates took effect on April 1, those who are 55 or older now have to pay the regular adult price of $2 per swim instead of their usual $1.60. A popular 20-swim ticket costing seniors $25.50 also increased to $36.

"So many people have no idea what it means to live on a fixed income," Reiss said. "If my $25 is now $36, where do I get that extra $11?"

All the admission costs were uniformly raised for the first time since 1994 at the city's eight neighborhood pools, up from $1.85 to $2 for adults and $1.30 to $1.50 for children. The increases will cover more of the subsidized operating costs, said Mario Abadal, North Shore Pool manager.

"The only way we can do that without cutting back on our service would be admission," he said.

Swimming is an important social activity for many seniors, Reiss said. She estimated that 40 seniors frequent the North Shore Pool as many as four or five times a week. Overall, about a third of the pool's patrons are senior citizens.

Some seniors said they now spend less time at the pool because they can no longer afford the fees. Barbara Lingg, 69, said she only has about $20 left for social expenses after paying for food and bills with her $500 monthly check. Lingg has swum at North Shore Pool nearly every day in the winter for the past 25 years, but said she'll only be able to afford visiting twice a week because of the price increase. Swimming is one of Lingg's few pastimes, along with painting and attending church.

"I really need it," she said. "Swimming is what helps me overcome depression."

But other than protesting the changes through letters or at voting time, most of the seniors have no choice but to go along with them or sit around at home more, Reiss said. Although she's not happy about the price increase, Lucie Owens, 73, said she'll keep going to the pool every week.

"I live on Social Security only, and I have to count every penny," Owens said.

Abadal, the North Shore pool manager, said he hadn't noticed any drastic differences in pool use since the price increase.

Admission to St. Petersburg pools is still cheaper than that at many public swimming facilities in other cities, Abadal added.

Even though the pool price increase may seem insignificant, Reiss said, it could encourage other businesses to stop offering their senior discounts, especially if this incident goes by without major reactions.