>Graydon Pool : The disheartening use of a tragic death to make cheap points
PJ Blogger and the Staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood – NJ It is very disheartening to see certain people and groups in town continue to try to make cheap points on the tragic drowning of Soo Hyeon Park in order to promote there version of a $13 or is $20 million “action park” like water park they want installed at tax payer expense in what now sits Historic Graydon Pool .
It is a new low in public discourse . Regardless of the outcome of the law suite against the Village no amount of money will ever bring this child back . Resident were horrified over the incident and the entire Village shared in the sadness of the families loss until of coarse some people saw the death as an opportunity to push forward their own agenda .
It is extremely distasteful at best and offensive to most to use a child’s death as being emblematic of your cause. Even the attorney for the family has distanced himself from the whole “action park” cause stating over and over that he is representing his clients and that’s it. It is also no wounder that the distinguished David Bolger as dropped the project saying at the time that is was just to controversial .
The fact of the matter is that the Boy did not speak English, and could not swim ! Even highly trained US servicemen drowned within less than 1 minute at Omaha Beach on D-Day .
Far more people have been hit by cars or killed in crosswalks in Ridgewood in the last 5 years than drowned at Graydon Pool in 100 years .
Few if any town pools in Bergen County have increased membership in the last 10 years , most municipal pools now invite in all takers.
The parking meters in Ridgewood routinely lose more money than Graydon Pool. In fact a certain Golden Toilet at Vets Field cost 3 to 4 seasons of Graydons losses.
Despite the hype there was no proof that any money was every raised to renovate Graydon nor were there any proof of any huge demand for the “action park ” idea. The claim of 6,000 new members was specious and never materialized. The Ridgewood blog will publish all that names of the families that are gracious enough to put up the cash for the new pool if they are willing to show themselves.
Yes the pool needs some modernization and some upgrades but the “action park ” group immediately proposed the most expensive $14 million proposal they could find making the project in a recessionary environment DOA.
In Europe the natural look is all the rage for pools and you would think in this “eco” crazy environment Historic Graydon would be a given.
Graydon for decades was the cultural center of Ridgewood summers , it was more than just a pool ,its was a place to go be seen ,play basketball, hang out and enjoy the sun . Graydon is an opportunity so few people have. Like a lot of kids I learned how to swim there and that’s the magic words ,learn how to swim.
