At the public pool one morning last week, water polo players repeatedly sprung up from the deep end and threw balls to their coach, who drilled them in the sport’s basics from the sidelines. As their practice ended, other islanders — mostly seniors —  arrived to walk in the shallow end or take part in a deep water aerobics class. Later, the lifeguards would string the lanes for lap swimmers and then open the pool for the heart of the day — open swim, frequented by families and children looking to cool off in what has been a remarkably hot summer.

The combination of a variety of pool programs and the long string of sunny days has spelled success for the pool so far this season, with attendance at an all-time high and revenues strong, according to pool manager Scott Bonney, who has served in his position for the last five years.

“We’ve already reached last year’s revenue,” he said last week, “and we have 50 days to go in the regular season.”

Bonney, a former telecommunications executive — and avid swimmer — says he manages the pool as a labor of love, but his executive past is evident as he explains the importance of tracking all aspects of daily operations.

“If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it,” he said. “Being financially responsible allows us to do the fun part: provide a wonderful experience for the community.”

Sitting poolside last week, Bonney pointed out several features meant to enhance the pool experience, particularly for children. Ping pong and foosball tables sit ready on the deck; a basketball hoop is located in the shallow end; snacks are available for purchase, and free Wi-Fi is available. Should swimmers want to head off for another sport, they can borrow tennis gear and play on the court next door.

“There is nowhere else on the island you can do anything like this as a kid,” he said. “We are aiming for a community center feel.”

Along with youth-oriented amenities, Bonney said he and his staff try to create an array of swimming experiences, which benefit the swimmers and increase revenue at the same time.

Among the programs are evening lessons, drawing a record number of children this summer, he said, and swim team and water polo practices every weekday morning. Weekday lap swims are scheduled for three time slots, including an early morning option of being coached by a masters’ swim coach at no cost. Offering multiple lap swims is important, he noted.

“When you have enough availability for lap swimmers, they can make it part of their routine, and when they make it part of their routine, guess what, they come all the time,” he said.

Such programming also provides a block of time every day, regardless of the weather, when the pool brings in revenue, as swim team members and dedicated early morning lap swimmers will come even when it is cloudy and cool. This block of rentals runs from 6 to 11 a.m. and provides five hours of income when those who attend open swims would not be likely to come anyway, Bonney added.

While increasing revenue is important, Bonney said he and his team have also been able to decrease utility costs by relying on energy efficiency measures they have implemented. Summer temperatures have also helped keep costs down.

“We remain well within our budget,” he added.

Not too many years ago, the Vashon Pool, which sits on Vashon School District property, looked like it might be in jeopardy. In 2009, King County, which had operated the pool since the 1970s, moved to mothball it because of a budget crisis. At the time, county officials said the pool cost about $200,000 to run and brought in about $55,000.

The park district stepped in and took over, hoping to eventually break even with the pool — a goal that is often difficult for municipalities to achieve as the costs of staff, chemicals, utilities, maintenance and repairs are challenging to cover with admission fees and snack sales.

Bonney and his 20-person crew have made considerable progress in that regard.

In 2010, the pool required $40,000 in district support. In 2011, that figure rose to $54,000, and commissioners began to talk about shutting the pool down. Bonney, though, hired in 2011 in a limited role, had begun to point to cost-saving measures for the district and believed he could get the subsidy back down to $40,000. In recent years, he and his team have decreased that figure further, down to between $20,000 to $25,000 in district support, an amount he notes is just 2.5 percent of the park district’s budget. The budget is higher this year, as park district commissioners agreed to provide up to $10,000 to extend the pool season to Sept. 27, after a request by the Friends of the Vashon Pool, a group that would also like to see the pool outfitted with a retractable cover by 2019.

Last season the pool had a rough start because the drainage from its filters had been cut off during the construction of the high school, a situation that was not discovered until spring. The park district, which manages the pool, and the school district, which leases the pool to the park district, were sometimes at odds about how to solve and pay for a solution. Ultimately, the park district’s insurance company paid for a permanent drainage solution, which was completed earlier this month.

At the park district, Director Elaine Ott called Bonney a joy to work with and noted his importance in those proceedings.

“I couldn’t have gotten through this past year without his diligence in trouble shooting solutions to the drain problem and his superb management of those solutions,” she said in an email.

Despite the rosy picture at the pool so far this summer, Bonney notes he has visions for improvements.

The pool deck is cracked and needs to be refurbished, and tile is falling off some areas of the pool. Taking a guest on a tour, he noted that both the boiler and the filter may be best suited as relics of history in the The Smithsonian, and the cinderblock walls have the look of  “mid-1950’s Moscow” in their gray, unpainted state.

To help with some of the pending capital expenses, Bonney has established a sponsorship program. For a donation of  $50 or more, people will be recognized with their names in the pool lobby and in the weekly pool newsletter and will be able to attend special pool events. In addition to helping with deferred maintenance, the donations will fund scholarships and expanded programing, including a program that Bonney hopes to see implemented next year: teaching everyone on Vashon who wants to learn how to swim to do so.

People who do not learn how to swim when they are young often feel uncomfortable going to lessons when they get older and often feel nervous near the water, he noted.

“You are the person in the boat with the life jacket on all the time, or the one who goes to KVI and doesn’t put a foot in the water,” he said.

Next summer, he added, he would like all those people, from all age groups, to learn how to swim, if not for free then with scholarships that would make it affordable to do so.

“We are a small enough community, we ought to be able to do something like that,” he said.

Bonney, a swimmer since he was a young boy who refused to leave the waves at the Jersey Shore and who went on to serve as a lifeguard there, surveyed the scene from his poolside perch during a conversation last week.

“That is the great joy,” he said, nodding toward the water. “Seeing all the people enjoying the pool.”

See the complete pool schedule at vashonparks.org.

A lifeguard class is slated for the end of August, with potential guard positions opening this September. Call Bonney for details at 240-7721.