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Village dips a toe into the water, approves hiring a consultant
As the Sept. 13 Village of Lawrence board meeting was about to be adjourned, Trustee Uri Kaufman introduced a resolution that was not on the 12-item agenda. He proposed that the village spend $4,200 to hire a company to conduct a market study concerning the need for an indoor community swimming pool.
I’ve spoken to people who have their own pools and said they want to swim after they close their pools,” said Kaufman, whose resolution was approved. “The first step is to hire a company and find out what is the cost to run it. Then I’ll know if this is a viable project.”
Both Kaufman and Mayor Alex Edelman noted that three locations could be considered for the pool. The now vacant 4-acre Rock Hall Road site where the sewage treatment plant was; inside the existing Lawrence Yacht & Country Club building and the area that is used as the club’s golf course pitch and put practice area.
Remaining an advocate to sell the 4-acre site to a developer for up to $7 million, Edelman said that money could go to funding the pool and then the pool could go where the pitch and put is now, and that practice area could be shifted to a space by the driving range on the opposite side of Causeway.
“People want convenience and we can move the pitch and out to the other side and there is plenty of parking by the tennis courts,” said Edelman, who noted that he to has spoken with community members who would “love to have a pool close by.” Having a swimming pool not far from home is also a selling point for Kaufman, who said that he and his wife drove their children to the Oceanside JCC for swimming lessons.
During the interviews with the four companies that made proposals regarding the possible privatization of the village owned and operated country club, the idea of having a swimming pool was also addressed. Many clubs, such as the Woodmere Club, have swimming pools as an added amenity for members.
Kaufman said that should the village build such an indoor facility would be also open to the community and there could be separate swimming times for men and women, an option not always readily available in communities with small or no observant Jewish populations. “If we do this in our community — separate hours, family time — in this huge market, it could be a huge success,” he said. No decision is yet to be made on fees, officials said.
Another component could be offering the facility to Lawrence School District students. “We could have a swim program for public school students on Fridays and Saturdays, I think it would be a win-win,” said Kaufman, who served on the Lawrence Board of Education for nine years. The list of sports on the Lawrence High website does not include swimming.
“We are interested in vetting any proposal that potentially benefits the students,” said Murray Forman, president of the school board.
Have an opinion on Lawrence village building a swimming pool? Send your letter to the editor to jbessen@liherald.com.
