SEQUIM — Though he was banned earlier this year from entering the Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center, Jan Richardson is running for a seat on the publicly funded center’s board of commissioners.

Richardson, 68, fought verbally and physically with another man at SARC on Jan. 22; in February he was suspended from the center for one year because, according to SARC attorney Craig Miller, he used “profane and offensive language and . . . engaged in a physical altercation in the hallway.”

In an interview last week, Richardson said he was defending himself when the fight got under way, while acknowledging that “I have a mouth.”

Richardson, a retired construction company owner and camp director, also has a desire to “modernize” SARC with new equipment, more involvement in community events such as the North Olympic Discovery Marathon ­– and by adding his voice to the board by winning a seat in the Nov. 3 Clallam County recreation district 1 election.

He’s running against Susan Sorensen, who’s seeking re-election to her third four-year term on the SARC board.

This is Richardson’s second try; in 2007 he lost to Annette Kuss.

Too frugal

Now as then, Richardson believes Sorensen and Kuss are too frugal for SARC’s own good, and that to keep up with other Sequim gyms such as Anytime Fitness, where he’s been working out since his SARC suspension, the SARC board must invest in fresh gear and programming.

Sorensen, for her part, said SARC’s fitness depends largely on keeping money in the bank for a rainy day. The center is 21 years old now, she said, and at least one aspect of it could suddenly need a costly fix.

“If someone calls me fiscally conservative, I take that as a compliment,” said Sorensen, a 56-year-old registered nurse and diabetes educator.

SARC’s May balance sheet showed $680,543 in its general fund, $329,900 in its equipment fund and $78,260 in a capital reserve account, according to board chairwoman Erika Starks.

Monthly operating expenses are considerable: in May it cost $84,000 to keep the pool and workout rooms open.

And an expensive upgrade could be necessary before the year is out, Starks said.

To comply with federal pool safety legislation enacted in 2007, SARC may have to invest tens of thousands in upgraded drain covers and other equipment.

There’s no cost estimate yet for the upgrade, Starks emphasized, but compliance has cost other pools as much as $200,000.

Richardson, meantime, said he often hears from other Sequim residents who want him to introduce new tactics to SARC’s management. Among those supporters is Noelle Levesque, who is running for another seat on the SARC board.

“We could change that board up,” Levesque said, adding that she voted for Richardson in 2007.

Her makeover of SARC would start with a card scanner to speed entry, and continue with more new equipment, television sets and reduced fees.

Levesque-Maculay

Levesque, 29, is running against Robert Macaulay, a 64-year-old retired school principal. He was appointed to the board last August after commissioner Frank Figg resigned due to health reasons.

Like Sorensen, Macaulay believes in caution when it comes to spending, and both said they would hate for SARC to slide into the situation that befell Port Angeles’ William Shore Memorial Pool this year.

In order to keep that pool open, advocates went to the voters across the Port Angeles School District and asked for a property tax increase of 15 cents per $1,000 in assessed valuation, or $45 annually on a $300,000 house.

The save-the-pool campaign was successful in the May 19 special election by a 2-to-1 majority, but Macaulay and Sorensen don’t want to repeat such a scenario in Sequim.

Though a $2.4 million bond built the center in 1988, it’s self-supporting now, paying the bills with passholder revenue only, Sorensen added.

At the same time, Macaulay isn’t against new marketing efforts for SARC.

“Our passholders have dipped,” he said, adding that he’s interested in what the competition is doing, but wouldn’t “all of a sudden start changing programs.”

The dip in patrons has been minor, according to figures Sorensen cited last week. In April 2008 SARC served 1,285 passholders; this year that number is 1,067.

Corporate passes, discounted when a company’s staff of 10 or more sign up together, are reaping more money, Sorensen added.

This year, SARC has $20,000 in corporate passes on its books; in spring 2008 it was just $8,500.

It’s not as if SARC is completely tight-fisted, Sorensen said. The board is poised to spend $29,284 on new cardiovascular workout gear, including two treadmills, two elliptical trainers and a Nu Step stairclimber. And next on the shopping list is a pair of big-screen televisions.

But once those are installed along with cable service, the SARC board will face another fraught decision: Which channels will please the greatest number of passholders.

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Sequim-Dungeness Valley reporter Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-681-2391 or at diane.urbani@peninsuladaily news.com.