Facts About The Pool

Who uses the pool?

The pool is used by:

• The Rutherford High School swim team
• The YMCA Sharks swim team
• The YMCA Stingrays swim team
• YMCA aquatic programs
• Special Needs program
• Mayors wellness campaign
• Other local organizations

The YMCA have stated that they need both the new YMCA pool and the Rutherford pool in order to meet the demand and offer the full range of aquatic programs needed.

Why is our pool at risk?

It doesn’t have to be! The Board of Education and the administration responded to a report of the Long Term Strategic Planning Committee by developing conceptual plans that address expanding and modernizing school facilities. While working with the architect on the high school plans, eliminating the pool became the expedient option, however this is not the only option. There are other viable options!

The plan to eliminate the pool was neither a stated desire nor a recommendation from the Long Term Strategic Planning Committee! Nobody asked to fill in the pool or recommended that it should be eliminated; nobody suggested that getting rid of the pool would be a good idea. In fact the survey results that formed the basis of the referendum proposal called for ‘additional sports’ and ‘more options’ for physical education. The proposed plan to eliminate the pool is in direct opposition to this. The plan to eliminate the pool is a by-product from just one of the available options to meet the stated needs. There are alternate viable options that meet the stated needs that do not require the destruction of the pool.

Impact if the Pool is lost

The pool impacts all Rutherford residents. Thousands of children, adults, senior citizens and families have benefitted from a pool being right in town. There are invaluable quality of life opportunities for children to learn to swim, for teens to become trained to be a lifeguards, for children to be part of a swim team, for adults and seniors to be able to become healthier through water exercise and lap swim programs, for residents to participate in the Mayors Wellness program, for special needs residents to have fun, and for a place for every member of the community to come together to socialize in a healthy environment. The pool is a treasure that very few communities are able to say they have. The pool is a community amenity which helps residents to be proud to call Rutherford home.

Additionally, if the pool is eliminated this will cause significant hardship for the swim teams. The full impact of this is not yet known. Students, many of whom can walk to the pool today, would be forced to travel to out of town pools for daily practice resulting in:

• much earlier and later practice times as space at other pools is limited, if it can even be found.
• increased travel time (by bus or car).
• lost time for studies or other activities.

As a result many fewer students will join the swim team and choice will be reduced. The worst case scenario could be that the Rutherford High School swim team ceases to exist if no other available pool can be found.

Eliminating the pool also impacts all Rutherford residents including local scouting and other organizations, as well as the Monday night Special Needs program and the Friday night free swim for Rutherford residents under the Mayors wellness program.

This is our pool, it is a community pool available for all Rutherford residents. This is about keeping an existing facility, which if eliminated, will be lost forever. Prior generations of Rutherford taxpayers fought long and hard to obtain the funding to build this facility to benefit all members of our community. Lets not throw that away!

Brief history of the pool

• 1977
  • The borough obtained a federal grant from the Economic Development Administration in order to build a community swimming pool.
  • Initial plans were for a pool at Memorial Park. A court case ensued between the Mayor and Council and the Recreation Commission. End result was that the Council abolished the Recreation Commission but time was running out to use the federal funds before they expired.
• Feb 7, 1978
  • The BOE stepped up to save the day and save the grant by offering to build the pool at the high school. The Mayor & Council approved transferring the EDA funds to the BOE stipulating that “the town share this facility, week-ends, summers and evenings.”
• 1980
  • The Pool opened and programs were established for both the student population and the community at large.
• 2002 – present
  • The RBOE contracted with the YMCA "to operate the community pool program located at Rutherford High School for residents of the Borough of Rutherford and residents of surrounding communities"
  • A renewable annual contract was established by the Rutherford BOE with the Meadowlands YMCA, which includes the following contract language …. “The Board currently has YMCA operate a community pool program at Rutherford High School on its behalf which is used by students, residents of the Borough of Rutherford and residents of surrounding communities on a fee basis; AND the BOARD has the YMCA provide Lifeguard Services for the Board’s Swim Team Meets and Practices; AND the Board currently has YMCA conduct the pool maintenance …. Preference for enrollment in the community pool programs shall be given to residents of the Borough of Rutherford …”
  • The contract provides for the board to retain exclusive use of the pool at set days and times for the high school swim team.
• 2019 & beyond
  • The YMCA executive board authorized an offer with a goal where the BOE would have little to no expense or responsibility for the operation, the maintenance and the direct capital improvements of the pool in exchange for the YMCA having a long term contract. The YMCA announced that having two pools would allow new community programs to be made possible, for example the recent Rutherford Summer swim club.

How much does it cost to run the pool?

• The YMCA pays for all lifeguards and most of the running costs of the pool including pool maintenance, repairs and pool supplies. The YMCA also pays for custodial overtime that is incurred by the district.
• The School Administrator provided the following response when asked "what are the running costs for the pool?" ‘ The district's operating costs for the pool typically run between $7,000 and $12,000 per year. This does not include utilities, as those are not measured separately from the rest of the high school.'
• The current annual renewable contact left little incentive for either the BOE or the YMCA to invest in any capital improvements for the pool resulting in neglect over the last many years. The result is that if we keep the pool 'it will need renovations in excess of $1 million in the near term, as estimated by the district's architect. Those costs include a new boiler and HVAC mechanicals, a new pool liner, and upgrades to the building envelope to maintain heat within the building.'
• The YMCA has proposed to cover all those capital expenses in exchange for a long term contract where the 'goal would be for the BOE to have little to no expense or responsibility for the operation and maintenance of the pool.' By installing a new separate boiler for the pool the YMCA would also take on the cost of utilities for the pool.

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