Tim Cronin and Nancy Bigos of the Dept. of Parks & Rec have posted the Graydon schedule on the Graydon page of the Village calendar as follows (asterisks have been added):
2015 SEASON
Early Season – Saturday, June 6 to Thursday, June 18
Weekends, 10 am to 7:30 pm
Weekdays, ***12 noon*** to 7:30 pm
Regular Season – Friday, June 19 to Sunday, August 16
Daily, 10 am to 7:30 pm
July 4th – Holiday hours, 10 am to 4 pm
Late Season – Monday, August 17 to Sunday, August 30th
Weekends, 10 am to 7:30 pm
Weekdays, ***12 noon*** to 7:30 pm
****POOL CLOSED – Monday, August 31 through Friday, September 4****
Labor Day Weekend – Saturday, Sept 5 through Monday, Sept 7
Daily, 10 am to 7:30 pm
https://www.ridgewoodnj.net/department_detail.cfm?dept_id=41
Translation:
1. Graydon will open two hours late (at noon) on the first 9 weekdays in June following theJune 6-7 opening weekend (that is, June 8-12 and 15-18). Full opening hours (10 AM to 7:30 PM) will begin on Friday, June 19, the day after the last day of school. Late opening resumes for 10 weekdays in late August (Aug. 17-21 and 24-28).
Total of short days: 19 = 38 lost hours of beach time.
Note: Crestwood Lake in Allendale will open two full weeks earlier, on May 23. Weekday hours until school is out will be 1-5 PM throughout that period.
2. Graydon will be CLOSED for the entire 5 days before Labor Day weekend (Aug. 31-Sept. 4). Rationale: lifeguards will not be available because they’ll be in school, with Ridgewood and some other schools opening before Labor Day (Sept. 7)–but none as early as Aug. 31, and Ridgewood with a half-day on Wed. 9/9 and only 2 full days of school, why close all week?
The other part of the argument is that pool managers will be unavailable because they are teachers.
So maybe hire a couple who aren’t teachers? There’s still time.
Total of lost hours that week: 47.5 (9.5/day x 5 days)
Total lost beach time: 38 hours (late opening) + 47.5 hours (week before Labor Day weekend) = 85.5 hours
That’s the equivalent of 9 full lost days (9.5 x 9).
Full hours all season would include 893 hours. Since the first Saturday in June is late this year (June 6), the season is already short. From the first Saturday in June through Labor Day runs 13 weeks 3 days, or (13 x 7) + 3 = 94 days; that’s 9.5 hours/day x 94 = 893 hours. Removing 85.5 hours constitutes a 10.44% reduction. An additional 3.5 hours of closing occur on July 4, when Graydon is closed at 4 PM as a “drop zone” for fireworks.
WHY IS IT NECESSARY to demonstrate to the council every year that people still care about Graydon? I don’t know, but it is.
WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE if people show up at a council meeting to express their views/displeasure? I don’t know, but it often helps. And the less familiar their faces are, the better–also odd but true.
I am not attempting to convene a rally. However, next Wednesday’s council meeting is our last shot at trying to get this year’s proposed reduced hours rolled back. THE COUNCIL MUST STILL VOTE ON IT, although it would have slid through this important step if I hadn’t noticed the web page announcement and yawped at them at the April 8 council meeting. There was no meeting this week; Graydon, I’m told, will be on the agenda for next week. (The agenda has not been posted yet; https://www.ridgewoodnj.net/agenda.cfm/)
If you care about this, please make your voice heard.
The council is tired of hearing my voice and so am I. It has been amply demonstrated that a show of strength and interest at a council meeting makes an impression on elected officials. It may not help, but it can’t hurt. And there is always next year and beyond for the council to consider and plan for.
Village Council
Public Work Session
Wednesday, April 22, 7:30 PM
Village Hall courtroom, 4th floor
Public comment is likely to begin shortly after 7:30, after the Pledge of Allegiance. Please consider stating briefly why the opening hours matter to you and why you believe our council and staff should make whatever effort is required to keep Graydon open for full summer hours–a situation that was assumed and unquestioned for decades.
Be specific, if possible: morning swim fan; work schedule prevents going when it’s open; want to invite guests or take children/grandchildren when a late opening is now scheduled; like to take vacation days from work to go swimming, but want to arrive before noon; council claims to care about seniors; school-aged children do not comprise Graydon’s only constituency; unnecessary to shut down for the entire week before Labor Day, even considering school schedules; why not at least open from 3 to 7:30 on those days?
If you can’t come, please consider contacting the council to express your views. Their email addresses will pop up in an email form through this link:
https://www.preservegraydon.org/write-council
And then we’ll see! Thanks.
Swimmingly,
Marcia
===========================================
Marcia Ringel, Co-Chair
The Preserve Graydon Coalition, Inc., a nonprofit corporation
“It’s clear—we love Graydon!”
www.PreserveGraydon.org
Not a very customer oriented facility. They should be expanding hours, not cutting them.