Our Community Pool located at the Rutherford High School has served the students and residents of Rutherford, NJ and the surrounding areas for almost 40 years. The 2018 BOE Facilities plan being considered for referendum in October currently includes filling in the pool and turning it into a cafeteria.
We petition the Rutherford Board of Education to reconsider this decision and put forward an alternate proposal that will ensure the continued survival and use of our pool.
If our pool is lost, the impact to the RHS swim team, the YMCA swim team and to the wider community will be huge. The RHS swim team and the YMCA swim teams all use the pool extensively. Free swim nights are often made available to Rutherford residents, Special Needs program, local scouting and other organizations also use the pool. The YMCA has made it known that they very much want to continue using the pool so that they can continue to offer the full range of aquatic services needed by the community. They have also indicated that they are willing to restructure the partnership with the BOE to absorb more of the operational costs of the facility.
Swimming is not only one of the best sports to learn for health and fitness but is also a valuable life skill. Thousands of children have learned to swim at the pool and the lessons learned have saved lives.
Please sign and circulate this petition. Let’s gather together to save this treasured and desperately needed facility.