Ridgewood July 22, 2009 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 3 Graydon Pool renovation plan submitted for bids by John Koster The new plans for the renovation of Graydon Pool by the Graydon Pool Renovation Committee have been submitted for bids by the Ridgewood Council. Initial reaction to the updated plans suggests that, this time, the plans are viable. “The response we received from the public this time was overwhelmingly favorable,” said Jane Morales, co-chair of the Graydon Pool Renovation Committee with Melinda Cronk. “We learned last time that the public wasn’t ready for a water park or a lazy river, but what we heard this time was far more supportive.” The new figure for construction is $10 million, down from almost $14 million in the previous plan. The $14 million plan, unveiled at a meeting some months ago, split the audience down the middle: about half the people who spoke cited the need for change to reverse dwindling membership and sanitize the pool often criticized for its water quality, while the other half said that the four-pool complex proposed was unaesthetic, commercial-looking, and not the kind of thing most people would want to see over the back fence – or driving through Ridgewood. Ridgewood philanthropist David Bolger, who volunteered his time and expertise for the study but said he wasn’t putting up any money, said the revised project could probably be done for the money anticipated, and was more in keeping with what most people told him they wanted for Ridgewood. “I concluded that the public does not want an amusement park complex at the cost of some $14 million,” Bolger said. He praised the new design by Nicole Walla, a Ridgewood resident, as excellent and said that it would take the needs of the entire community into consideration. The new plan shows a pond to be used for ice skating and boating, along with a separate swimming lake, a rectangular cement pool with lanes, a toddler pool, and a fountain. Bolger added that a new refreshment stand would be needed and that restroom and changing room facilities in the vicinity of Lester Stable, which he helped save and renovate a number of years ago, would be mandatory to deal with the anticipated increase in the volume of swimmers. Bolger said the fence that now partitions the pool from Lester Stable should be moved to enclose the pool and the stable – headquarters of Ridgewood’s recreation program – into one comprehensive complex. Bolger added that detailed studies of how increased members would be able to defray the cost of renovating and operating the pool were not yet completed. “Graydon Pool is an antiquated, unsafe facility, and must be transformed to meet the modern standards of design and operation – this is a decision that can only be made by the village council,” Bolger said. (continued on page 7) A plan of the proposed renovations for Graydon Pool. ���������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������������� ���������� ������������������������� ����������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������ ������������������������� ���������� ���������������������� 2 Locations Glen Rock & Passaic PASSAIC LOCATION NOW OPEN SUNDAYS! We Offer Line Of Credits And Financing Plans 201.345-5621