Swim Club 12/11/03
The Hazlet Township Swim and Tennis Club has been part of our community for almost thirty years.
I conjured up the courage to take my first “real” dive on Hazlet Township’s 3-meter springboard. I remember going to the live music concerts on Teen Night. Many residents have fond memories of spending warm summer days at the club with friends, neighbors and family.
The club has improved the quality of life for many residents, but the township has an expensive problem. Currently, not enough residents are making memories with friends, neighbors and family at the swim club.
The club has been suffering from a case of community apathy. Membership is declining and the facility has not undergone much change in the way of improvements, since I was a child.
The swim club operates as a utility. Utilities are set up to be self-supporting. Membership fees and sources other than township tax money are supposed to cover the costs of operation.
Since the township is responsible for the swim club’s financial success, Hazlet taxpayers have paid approximately $120,000 over the last two years to balance the swim club’s budget.
In an attempt to reduce this waste of taxpayer’s money, the township has raised the membership rates. Increasing the rates caused the membership to decline even further.
There is a more important explanation for the declining membership. Many residents are installing swimming pools on their own property. On each month’s meeting agenda of the Zoning Board of Adjustment, there are normally several pool applications. The zoning board reasonably approves most of them.
It is not reasonable for the citizens of Hazlet, who are not members of the swim club, to continue paying for this utility to operate at a loss. We need to resolve this problem.
The township has researched seemingly well-planned ideas to balance the swim club’s budget. Hazlet could contract with an outside company to manage the day-to-day operations of the club. We could lease out the food and beverage concessions for added revenue. The township could create a board of unpaid citizens to manage the club. Maybe the recreation commission could do the job. The alternatives are limited. Our elected officials have looked at many options over the years, but none was strong enough to overcome the problem of moribund membership.
Continuing to provide a service, for which the community has lost its need, is a waste of valuable resources. Hazlet could use those resources to manage quality of life issues that are more germane to the interests of its current residents.
I recently heard a resident remark that the main pool, once drained, would “make a great basement for a town hall”.
Hazlet has been searching for land on which to build a municipal complex. This parcel is large and near the geographic center of town. The land is adjacent to parkland.
Closing Hazlet’s pool might be a viable solution to our problem of where to build the badly needed new town hall.
If planned carefully, this concept could involve the environmental, planning, zoning, recreation and other boards and committees in all levels of government. This kind of cooperation could build the momentum this town desperately needs to productively and responsibly address Hazlet’s most critical issue: The preservation of open space.
This last resort has the potential to provide an opportunity for positive results that will benefit all citizens, not just the ones with membership cards.
I conjured up the courage to take my first “real” dive on Hazlet Township’s 3-meter springboard. I remember going to the live music concerts on Teen Night. Many residents have fond memories of spending warm summer days at the club with friends, neighbors and family.
The club has improved the quality of life for many residents, but the township has an expensive problem. Currently, not enough residents are making memories with friends, neighbors and family at the swim club.
The club has been suffering from a case of community apathy. Membership is declining and the facility has not undergone much change in the way of improvements, since I was a child.
The swim club operates as a utility. Utilities are set up to be self-supporting. Membership fees and sources other than township tax money are supposed to cover the costs of operation.
Since the township is responsible for the swim club’s financial success, Hazlet taxpayers have paid approximately $120,000 over the last two years to balance the swim club’s budget.
In an attempt to reduce this waste of taxpayer’s money, the township has raised the membership rates. Increasing the rates caused the membership to decline even further.
There is a more important explanation for the declining membership. Many residents are installing swimming pools on their own property. On each month’s meeting agenda of the Zoning Board of Adjustment, there are normally several pool applications. The zoning board reasonably approves most of them.
It is not reasonable for the citizens of Hazlet, who are not members of the swim club, to continue paying for this utility to operate at a loss. We need to resolve this problem.
The township has researched seemingly well-planned ideas to balance the swim club’s budget. Hazlet could contract with an outside company to manage the day-to-day operations of the club. We could lease out the food and beverage concessions for added revenue. The township could create a board of unpaid citizens to manage the club. Maybe the recreation commission could do the job. The alternatives are limited. Our elected officials have looked at many options over the years, but none was strong enough to overcome the problem of moribund membership.
Continuing to provide a service, for which the community has lost its need, is a waste of valuable resources. Hazlet could use those resources to manage quality of life issues that are more germane to the interests of its current residents.
I recently heard a resident remark that the main pool, once drained, would “make a great basement for a town hall”.
Hazlet has been searching for land on which to build a municipal complex. This parcel is large and near the geographic center of town. The land is adjacent to parkland.
Closing Hazlet’s pool might be a viable solution to our problem of where to build the badly needed new town hall.
If planned carefully, this concept could involve the environmental, planning, zoning, recreation and other boards and committees in all levels of government. This kind of cooperation could build the momentum this town desperately needs to productively and responsibly address Hazlet’s most critical issue: The preservation of open space.
This last resort has the potential to provide an opportunity for positive results that will benefit all citizens, not just the ones with membership cards.
posted by Rich Kohler at 11:36 PM
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