Dear City Council,
I have reviewed Team Sheeper’s staff report in preparation for the upcoming
City Council Study Session on September 9, and frankly, its smoke and
mirrors. The City cannot responsibly negotiate with this operator without
full transparency. How can the City assess the impact of rising pool
operating costs—costs that I understand are borne by the City—if Team
Sheeper refuses to disclose what he pays himself and his staff?
This operator is effectively holding our community pool hostage, and the
latest cuts to Burgess Pool hours demonstrate this clearly. Has Team
Sheeper considered that declining attendance in 2025 may be a direct result
of his own decisions—adding profit-driven programming that pushes out
community access, delaying long-overdue price adjustments for
non-residents, and simultaneously reducing hours? For the past year,
weekend hours have been cut during the off-season, further limiting access
for residents.
This is exactly what critics feared when the City struck this deal in 2006
:
that residents not enrolled in Team Sheeper programs would lose meaningful
access to their own public pool. Those fears have now become reality.
Menlo Park deserves better. We need an operator who is transparent,
accountable, and genuinely committed to serving the community—not just
their bottom line.
*Sincerely,*
Jessica Taylor
