Town to Talk Plan for Pool's Future

Mahwah is prepping to take an in-depth look at the municipal pool in an attempt to see how it could be more-efficiently run in the future.

The township council discussed at a meeting Thursday night how it might come up with a future plan for the pool, which it reported is operating at about $120,000 in the red.

According to a mid-year review of pool expenses presented to the council Thursday, the pool will cost about $262,000 to operate this season. By the end of August, it is projected to make about $143,000 for the season, an $11K drop in revenue from last year.

Council members said that although they do not expect the pool to make money, they have concerns about it is operating at an increasing cost.

“The revenue continues to decline,” Council President Harry Williams, who requested the cost analysis of the pool, said. “It’s not going to be a money-maker, but [we need to] plan for its depreciation.”

Williams also added he’s heard residents complain about the condition of the pool.

“This is a capital asset that the township [owns and runs],” Councilman John Roth said. “We need to figure out what our priorities are, what we need to do to make it more appealing to the community, and how we pay for it.”

The council decided to hold off a full analysis on what to do with the pool in the future until the end of September, when finalized numbers of pool attendees, costs, and revenues from this season, have been collected.

The township will also be working on some upgrades to the playground at the pool this fall using Open Space grant money from the county.

Township officials recommended the council decide on a long-term plan for the pool before 2013 is over, before budget discussions begin for the next calendar year.

So, Patch wants to know, what would you like to see at the pool? Do you think the town could change or add anything that would make it more attractive to residents?

Tell us in the comments box below.