Dear Residents:
I hope you and your families are staying healthy and enjoying the beautiful weather. As the summer is almost upon us, the status of the pool and camp has been on everyone’s mind. On behalf of the Township Committee, I want to take this opportunity to provide an update.
At our Township Committee meeting on Tuesday, May 12, 2020, knowing what we knew at the time, we voted unanimously to not proceed with the 2020 summer operation of the Springfield Community Pool, Pool Day Camp, Swim Team, Swim Lessons, and Chisholm Playground Camp, in an effort to: 1) protect our residents, pool patrons, staff, and summer program participants from the spread and infection of COVID-19; 2) minimize the known and unknown health, safety, and facility risks of operating our pool and summer programs in the current climate; and 3) provide for the short and long term financial stability of the self-sustaining pool utility. Due to the uncertainty of both the COVID-19 health crisis and the state’s reopening guidance, we did leave the door open to discuss this further.
As a prudent and cost-effective reaction to our decision, we moved to formally release our summer employees; refund registration fees; and pause our spending and operational planning. Last year, the Township had to cover the financial shortfalls of the pool with $150,000 taken out of the Township’s General Fund. Unfortunately, since the construction of the new pool house, the pool has not met a projected revenue since the 2018 calendar year. Due to the pandemic, it is projected that the pool would have a 350,000 shortfall the Township would need to subsidize from the 2021 budget. We hope you can appreciate that we did not take on the further financial burden of planning for a pool and camp season that, at the time, was still a major uncertainty due to the state’s guidance. Since then, we have been pivoting to exploring exciting alternative summer experiences such as drive-in movies, expanded outdoor dining, virtual camp options, and late-summer sports clinics, as well as town-wide food drives and senior citizen shopping services to help our most vulnerable residents.
Fast forward to Monday, June 8, 2020, Governor Murphy released an Executive Order that permitted public and private outdoor pools to open as of Monday, June 22, 2020, with strict modifications. The state Department of Health released the new required standards a few days later. These include: 50% capacity, which amounts to approximately 250 people, including staff. Also, social distancing inside the water and on the grounds with face coverings outside of the pool. Additional requirements include limiting occupancy in showers and locker rooms, hiring of new COVID-19 ambassadors to enforce social distancing, screening employees for temperatures and other symptoms of illness, staggering entry and exit points, purchasing new signage and cleaning supplies, establishing an outdoor emergency care facility for COVID-19 prevention and mitigation, enhancing cleaning and disinfecting procedures, providing sanitizer stations throughout the grounds, prohibiting sharing of lounge chairs, turning off the baby pool sprinklers, and encouraging mask wearing in many situations.
We would not not shy away from following state-mandated guidance, or from providing quality and affordable services and amenities to our residents. But doing so after one month of moving in a different direction — and already late in the summer planning process — leaves us faced with both the uncertainty of membership and camp enrollment and statewide health fluctuations; and the certainty of a major financial deficit in the hundreds of thousands of dollars even if we open the pool and camp. The Springfield Community Pool depends on revenue gained from pool membership, camp registrations, concession operator, private usage contracts, and party rentals. We do not believe it is in the best interest of the Township, or the pool, to shift what would be a sizable deficit to pool members and camp families in the form of significant fee hikes in an uncertain 2021 and beyond, or to regular taxpayers whose property taxes would likely have to cover this deficit in 2021.
I am pleased to report that the Business Administrator and the Director of Recreation have been having conversations with third-parties about the possibility of surveying residents and implementing their camp programs and/or operating the pool at less financial risk to the Township and in less time in the midst of the current COVID-19 crisis. As soon as we have more information on potential developments, I will share them with you.
Until then, I wish you and your families continued health and safety. Congratulations to all of our graduates! I hope to see you at our upcoming drive-in movies and dining outdoors at our restaurants!
Stay safe!
Mayor Christopher Capodice, Sr.