News Café

Meeting to Discuss the Future of Hall Quarry Beach

The Batavia Park District invites all residents of the District to join in a presentation and discussion in the ongoing operations of the Hall Quarry Beach on May 25, 2010 at 8 am. The meeting will take place at the Hall Quarry Beach, 400 S. Water Street in Batavia. The public is invited to attend the first of many events designed to offer more education, open forum discussions and provide an opportunity to give the Park District feedback on the current challenges and future operations of the Hall Quarry Beach. The Park District has followed up on the efforts of the Batavia Ignite group initiated by the Batavia Chamber of Commerce to provide awareness and collect information on the desires of the Batavia community.

The Batavia Park District has been studying the issues that face the Hall Quarry Beach for a number of years. “We’ve been looking at solutions to correct two trends that are offering us a significant challenge” stated Mike Clark, Executive Director of the Batavia Park District. He added, “The attendance has seen a dramatic decline over the past several years and the costs of maintenance have substantially impacted the budget during the same period”. Data has shown that attendance peaked in 1995 with approximately 92,000 visitors. In 2009, less than 20,000 visitors utilized the Quarry. Among the key revenue areas are swimming lessons which totaled less than $6000. “Every revenue area has been trending downward for a number of years now; season passes, daily admissions, swim lessons and concessions. A big part of our mission at the Park District is to provide services for our residents at a very reasonable cost. We aren’t looking to make money at the Quarry. We’re just looking to break even or keep any deficit to a minimum. It’s a totally unique environment that we offer that other communities would love to have”, said Park District Board President Pat Callahan.

To open the Hall Quarry Beach for 2010, $86,500 had to be spent on maintenance costs alone without any attention to additional amenities. Over the full 12 week season, nearly 23 million gallons of water will be pumped to fill 25% of the Quarry on a daily basis. Two wells are used exclusively to keep the depth of water at the Quarry at a safe level. It costs nearly $400 per day to chemically treat the additional water added each day. “We are hearing the same thing from a lot of people” said Park Commissioner Nicole Corken, adding “The temperature is very cold and the water appears murky”. The water being added each day arrives at 58 degrees and the sun can’t warm the temperature quickly enough before another quarter million gallons are added the next day. The murkiness is the result of the sandy bottom of the Quarry.

“There are a few solutions we are looking at to control the temperature, the water clarity and the costs” said Clark. "Everything we’re considering has some cost attached to it and in some cases changes the Quarry from what it has traditionally been” added Callahan. Allison Sohr, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Batavia Park District has taken on the initiative of engaging the residents in a community-wide engagement to discuss how to meet the challenges of maintaining a beloved community asset. “Batavians have a lot of pride connected with the Quarry. It’s been a big part of our longtime residents lives and newer residents appreciate it as well. If they haven’t been there for a while, I hope they visit. We introduced a ten day punch card this year to make it easier for people who want to use the Quarry but don’t want to commit to the season pass”, stated Sohr.

Sohr is planning extended outreach this summer to achieve a Community Resolution on what people would like to see happen with the Hall Quarry Beach. The launch of the public awareness forums and community input meetings for the Quarry has been carefully timed with the opening of the Quarry season. There will be many more meetings scheduled throughout the Quarry season to accommodate residents busy schedules. “We’ll be all over the community attending different programs to educate our residents on the issues facing the Quarry and asking for their input,” Sohr concluded.

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