Editor\u2019s note: Transcript provided by CoverGov<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sports Facilities Cos.<\/a>, a Florida developer and manager of publicly owned sports facilities, is the new manager of Hurst\u2019s Central and Chisholm Aquatic centers<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Hurst City Council approved the agreement at its Dec. 16 meeting<\/a>. The staff recommended the change, saying the city\u2019s two aquatics centers serve more than 45,000 visitors each summer, but have become increasingly difficult to manage efficiently. Council members approved the change 6-0.<\/p>\n Persistent staffing shortages, escalating costs for repairs and regulatory compliance, and technical demands of meeting standards for water quality management, safety and mechanical infrastructure have \u201cincreasingly strained\u201d the city\u2019s ability to manage the centers, the staff told council members in a report<\/a> for the December meeting.<\/p>\n Local property-tax reform and other budgetary constraints \u201cfurther underscore the need for stronger cost-recovery strategies and more efficient operations,\u201d the staff said.<\/p>\n Two nationally recognized aquatics management firms studied Hurst\u2019s operations, the staff said, noting the city is subsidizing the aquatics centers with $1 million in property tax receipts and $700,000 from an economic development fund.<\/p>\n City Manager Clay Caruthers told council members the city hopes to save money through the management agreement via \u201ceconomy of scale and different marketing along with (better) food and beverage offerings,\u201d according to minutes from the meeting.<\/p>\n The city staff told the council the two management firms \u201cprovided comparable strategies to improve staffing stability, maintain safety and compliance, strengthen preventive maintenance and asset lifecycle management, and enhance the food and beverage offerings.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThese companies will leverage their national industry partnerships with specialized vendors, bulk pricing agreements through existing service contracts, established workforce pipelines, and technological resources to implement private-sector pricing and policies,\u201d the staff said.<\/p>\n Sports Facilities \u201cdemonstrated the strongest alignment with the city\u2019s operational priorities, particularly in aquatic facility operations, staff transition and hiring, planning, safety management, and community access programming,\u201d the staff said.<\/p>\n The staff estimated the city will pay a management fee of $20,000 per month in the first year of the contract, \u201cwith 5% to 7% annual inflation adjustments thereafter, for an initial term of no fewer than three to five years with multiple term renewal options.\u201d<\/p>\n The city will continue to pay for \u201croutine operating costs\u201d in its general fund budget, the staff said.<\/p>\n The city will continue to fund capital improvements through its capital projects process and coordinate them with Sports Facilities to \u201censure competitive pricing, warranty compliance and long-term system performance.\u201d<\/p>\n To learn more about how the transcript that informed this report was created, visit covergov.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Scott Nishimura is senior editor for local government accountability and a Fort Worth City Hall reporter at the Fort Worth Report.<\/p>\n