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About 20 years ago the College Park Woods Swim Club had more than 300 members. Today, it has about 80 and club officials are unsure how long it will remain open as operational costs rise and members dwindle.

"Years ago, it was very crowded," said Barbara Pianowski, a 30-year member who serves on the club's board of directors. "You couldn't find a place to sit."

The club, located at 3545 Marlbrough Way, has been a neighborhood staple in West College Park since it opened in 1964. It is run as a nonprofit organization and usually has about $50,000 in operating costs each year, Pianowski said.

In recent years, it has become increasingly unable to fully offset costs by selling memberships, hosting fundraisers and swim meets and renting the club for community events. Last summer's membership costs ranged from $145 for individuals to $300 for families. There was also an $80 rate for college students.

The club — which has a six-lane, 25-meter pool, children's pool and 12-foot diving well — has opened membership to non-neighborhood residents and tried to attract former members of the now-closed University Hills Swim Club in College Park, which was sold in 2006. Nonetheless, it has had trouble finding people, near and far, who are interested.

"There are a lot of new families moving in and when they buy a house, they're not thinking of finding a pool," Pianowski said. "It's a nice, secluded area. It's nice and wooded. But you have to know it's there."

Rather than closing down, club members voted Oct. 13 to try and save the club by raising more money or selling to new management. Members are also looking into receiving grants or funding from the city or county.

"The community doesn't want it to go to waste and be neglected," Pianowski said, adding that members will meet again on Dec. 1 to discuss their options. "Right now, we're at the point of assessing how much money is needed."

Residents said the club has been a valuable meeting place where members can swim or enjoy pot lucks, cookouts or crab feasts throughout the year. The club has also hosted neighborhood watch and West College Park Citizens Association meetings.

"We don't really want to lose that pool because it adds value to homes," said City Councilwoman Karen E. Hampton (Dist. 4).

Charles Dorsey, who has been a club member for about five years, said the facility has been especially important for the neighborhood's families, many of whom are too busy with work or school to meet regularly.

"I think it's important as a neighborhood institution," he said. "There's many different ways to splice the neighborhood but the swim club is something that draws us all together."

E-mail David Hill at dhill@gazette.net.