Pool, Park Renovations Could Run About $660,000

The borough's Memorial Park and Pool Committee is still in the process of deciding how exactly it wants to renovate the area. But it's clear what will go into some of the changes to the area's landscape.

Based on prices given by Borough Engineer Vince DeNave, the committee appears to be in support of elevating the kiddie pool to make it level with the larger, main pool. It also supports moving the kiddie pool over several from where it currently is and converting the current kiddie area into a lounge.

The committee has been attempting to improve the pool, which has been deteriorating for years. Its membership has suffered as a result.

"When you walk into this pool ... it's going to look new," DeNave said.

The pool decks would be replaced, and all of the piping would be redone in an effort to alleviate leaking problems that have recently persisted. Electrical work would also be done.

Members have also complained about feeling like there's no privacy at the pool, and so the fencing surrounding it would be replaced and privacy screening would be provided.

The pool renovations, as DeNave laid them out, would cost about $319,000, but that number could be increased if the committee decides to add building space for an area where the online Community Pass program can be administered (the pool is not part of the Community Pass sign-up program) and decides to install new lifeguard chairs.

Pool supporters have said they feel a bit like second class citizens because they cannot sign up for their membership through Community Pass, and Joint Recreation Assistant Director Carol Nauta said it's important to add if the committee truly wants to enhance the pool.

According to estimates from DeNave, it could cost about $368,000 to renovate the park. That number includes the addition of 25 parking spaces and renovations to the park's basketball court.

Committee members said some items could be removed from that estimate—for example, they said, new dugouts at the baseball/softball field don't necessarily need to be built, and new bleachers aren't necessary either. Taking out those items saves $40,000, and committee members also said they might want to wait until they redo the basketball court, since they could potentially get a grant for that $11,000 work from the Chatham Athletic Foundation.

That cuts about $50,000 from the $368,000 cost. But committee members said they might want to add into that calculation the cost for a walking track around the field, which wasn't in the original numbers. That would cost between $20,000 and $30,000. So in total, the renovations could cost about $660,000

There is about $480,000 in a fund that is earmarked for Memorial Park renovations, which means if all those renovations were to happen, the committee would fall about $200,000 short. But officials have discussed other potential funding avenues, such as the borough's $800,000 Open Space fund, as another potential option.

Committee Chairman Gerard Malanga also said he wants the Friends of the Park Pool Chatham Borough, a group that has spoken out to support keeping the pool open (the Borough Council has contemplated closing it), to come to the committee's next meeting next Tuesday to discuss how the pool will be run in the future.

He also hopes the group can help with fundraising, since additional money is needed for the renovations.

"If we're going to do all this, you better have people who are invested in this," Malanga said.

But the funding issues go beyond the initial renovations. The pool has been operating at about a $25,000 deficit, and committee members said they need to try and ensure the pool is profitable in the future.

Malanga said a governing body of sorts could be formed that could organize money-making events—such as aerobics or fitness classes—that would provide the pool with additional revenue streams.

Committee members said they want to get a complete recommendation to the Borough Council by July 12, which is the deadline the council has set for making a decision about whether the pool will remain open or closed.