Recent rainy weather may be conducive to making gardens and lawns grow, but it is making havoc with public swimming pools serving customers.

The village of Hinsdale and the Clarendon Hills Park District both manage outdoor pools open during the summer, but officials from both organizations say the start of the summer season has been slow because of poor weather.

On Tuesday, June 16, the Hinsdale Community Swimming Pool experienced an up-and-down day, closing at 1 p.m. due to rain, then re-opening for a short period before closing again at 4 p.m. due to steady rain.

“We evaluate on a daily basis whether or not we should close for the day, or just temporarily,” said Gina Hassett, director of the Park and Recreation Department.

Rain does not necessarily automatically translate into closing, Hassett said.

“We can stay open when it rains — we do have some very dedicated lap swimmers who swim in the rain — but heavy rain, lightning and low temperatures are reasons for us closing down,” Hassett said.

The pool opened May 23, and since then has been open only nine of 14 scheduled days, Hassett said.

“We started with a great Memorial Day weekend — we even sold 75 season passes that weekend — but have been slowed down recently,” Hassett said.

Lions Park Pool, operated by the Clarendon Hills Park District, has been closed “roughly half the days it was scheduled to be open so far,” said Donald Scheltens, Park District executive director. Lions Park Pool also opened May 23.

“In my seven years of managing the pool, this is, without a doubt, the worst season we have had,” Scheltens said. “We just can’t seem to get a consistent stretch of good, warm weather.”

Sales of season passes at both pools are lower than last year, although Scheltens and Hassett said the pools would probably meet, or come close to meeting, budget goals in 2009.

The Hinsdale pool sold 2,988 summer season passes in 2008 compared to 2,754 this year, Hassett said.

In 2008 the Lions Park pool sold 720 season passes compared to 675 through June 16, Scheltens said. Typically, sales of season passes fall off significantly by mid-June, Scheltens said.

“We realistically don’t expect any more season passes to be sold this year. From now until closing we will depend on daily passes,” Scheltens said.

Season passes allow unlimited use of the pool for a fee of $275 in Hinsdale and $265 in Clarendon Hills. But most users who do not hold season passes find it more cost effective to pay daily admission fees after the first few weeks of the season, Scheltens said.

Last year, Lions Park Pool’s budget was $332,000, but revenues eventually were $355,000. The pool made about $1,000 when all was said and done, Scheltens said. Hinsdale Swimming Pool’s budget this year is $333,000, compared to $325,700 in 2008, Hassett said.

One of the difficult aspects of managing the pool, Hassett said, is balancing the desires of customers with realities of operating a pool with a staff of more than 15 people.

“You want to stay open as much as you can, but you also have to be make financially responsible decisions,” Hassett said. “You don’t want 15 people standing around (on the clock) doing nothing, waiting to see if the pool is going to be open or closed.”