The Lido Key Residents’ Association thinks the Lido Beach Pool and Pavilion could be a self-supporting enterprise, and not the money pit city officials fear. They will present their conclusions and plans at the Jan. 17 city commission meeting.

Association President Carl Shoffstall gave the Coalition of City Neighborhoods a sneak peak on Saturday morning. “The pool alone cannot lure the patrons necessary to sustain it,” said Shoffstall. “One of the big things is renovation of the current pavilion.”

After the briefing, the coalition voted unanimously to support the Lido Key Resident’s Association when the plan goes before the city commission.

The Lido Beach Pool – the area’s only beachfront, freshwater, public swimming pool – fell into city hands after Sarasota County turned it over, saying the facility was losing $180,000 per year. Too few patrons, too much maintenance, county staffers said.

But Shoffstall and his volunteers plunged into the figures, and say the county’s red ink was not accurate. “They didn’t include income from the Pavilion concession for one thing,” he said. “We figure it costs $70,000 to $75,000 to run, in real numbers.”

Shoffstall shared a peek at what the pool and pavilion might look like if the residents’ plans are approved. “There would be a community meeting room, a catering kitchen, small shops for sundry sales, a playground, a tiki bar, outdoor seating and a plaza, a splash pad, cabanas and shade structures,” he said. “We want to provide our community and visitors a variety of engaging activities.”

The Lido residents are not the only ones with plans. One of the respondents to a city request for proposals to build a new hotel downtown also included plans for the pool and pavilion as a beachside attraction. The downtown Ritz-Carlton has a Lido Beach facility as well.

However City Manager Bob Bartolotta, who attended the CCNA meeting, said the proposal “was more of an afterthought in their proposal.”

Any renovation will be tricky because of Federal Emergency Management Agency restrictions on upgrading beachfront structures. FEMA uses a 50 percent rule, with any improvements costing more than half of the appraised value triggering a significant elevation in the structure. “Otherwise it has to be brought up to FEMA Category Five standards,” Shoffsstall said.

The pool and pavilion are currently appraised for $424,000, so Shoffstall says about $200,000 is the maximum that could be spent on the facility. “The Siebert Pavilion is from the Sarasota School of Architecture,” he said.

“We’re starting to see what it will actually cost to operate the facility,” he said. “We think it could be a break-even deal within a year.”