>An email I recieved today———-
For three years, we have been volunteers helping the Ridgewood Pool Project (RPP) learn why residents have left Graydon and what will bring them back. As you know, Melinda Cronk and Jane Morales have done an incredible job leading that charge and working closely with Village Parks & Recreation and the Council. Unfortunately, an uninformed group of residents has recently launched the Preserve Graydon Coalition. The group’s approach so far has been to spread false claims about the RPP and its hard work, with the stated aim of stopping the Council’s search for architectural services so Graydon can be left as a sand bottom bathing beach. As you’ve probably noticed from recent news articles (https://www.northjersey.com/community/clubs/news/A_show_of_force.html and https://www.northjersey.com/recreation/news/52737472.html), this group has come out swinging hard, and our voices MUST be heard in response.
With the RPP continuing to work through official channels to meet the collective needs of our residents, we have decided to take a step back from the group in order to further the cause for a new Graydon. The RPP is standing by its recommendation that Ridgewood should build a new pool facility, and all of us need to help the Village understand why they came to that recommendation. We represent the badge numbers that the Village needs. We require a clean, clear, safe, and fiscally responsible pool facility. And, we need to stand up for it NOW.
Since the Preserve Graydon Coalition is providing a large voice for the status quo, we need to have an even larger one. We welcome your support of FIX GRAYDON NOW, our new committee that plans to take a very vocal approach to helping Council understand just how far reaching the support for a new Graydon facility has become. Here’s what we need from you:
1) VOLUNTEER. As proponents for a new pool facility in Ridgewood, we must organize NOW. The Ridgewood Pool Project will stand by their recommendation for this type of facility, but we must show that our voice is much larger than the Preserve Graydon Coalition. Whether you can give a day or just an hour, everyone who can help us plan some activities over the next several weeks should contact us immediately at FixGraydonNOW@gmail.com.
2) MARK YOUR CALENDARS. On September 9 at 7:30 p.m., the Village Council will meet in the Courtroom at Village Hall and we understand the Preserve Graydon Coalition will make a formal case to stop the search for architectural services. We must pack that Courtroom to reassure the Council that they are on the right track and shouldn’t let a vocal minority hurt the progress that’s already been made.
3) SPREAD THE WORD. There is a large population of the Village that has a stake in Graydon as taxpayers, but they do not have a personal need for a swim facility. This group is more likely to support the status quo, because they see it as having less risk. Residents in general should understand that Graydon attendance has plummeted; the facility is costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars; young families are losing a sense of community because they’re spread out across other pools; and a new facility can be equally natural and beautiful and bring residents back without any taxpayer burden. Do you have a friend or neighbor who hasn’t been following this issue but may believe the distortions being spread by the Coalition? Make sure they hear the real story!
Please contact us with any questions, but especially if you want to join other residents in the fight to make a new Graydon a reality. Thanks for your support!
Melissa Maloney & Leigh Warren