>”renaissance” of Graydon Pool.
The Record: Everyone in the pool
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Last updated: Sunday July 11, 2010, 10:50 AM
The Record
https://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/98186909_Everyone_in_the_pool.html
THESE STEAMY, hot summer days are tiring and tough to get through. Good thing there’s Graydon Pool.
The number of members is up an astounding 37 percent after seasons of decline, thanks to the tireless lobbying of a core group of citizens that helped clean and preserve Ridgewood’s century-old jewel.
Set in a 7-acre park, historic Graydon is a nearly all-natural swimming experience, complete with minnows and the occasional duck. It was created in 1918 by damming the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook, expanded in 1936 and filled with eager swimmers for decades.
But in recent years, the 2.8 acre “plake” was losing its luster and revenues as its reputation shifted from relaxing to dirty. A $13 million plan to replace it with four concrete, chlorinated pools emerged. Thankfully, Graydon fans lobbied against that plan and pushed for improvements.
Waters are clearer now that they are being aerated by new diffusers and treated with natural chemicals. Workers are covering rafts with tarps and employing border collies to chase geese away.
The results are good. Some 3,410 badges have been sold this year, compared to 2,426 last year, according to the parks department. Along with more visitors and revenues, activities are coming back too, with a lending library and story times for children. The redevelopment plan appears dead, since recent municipal elections brought more plake supporters to the Village Council.
Credit the Great Recession for keeping families closer to home. Credit the blistering heat for sending them into the water. But especially, credit the fact that citizens cared, that volunteers rallied, that voters supported a cause.
Whatever the reasons, the push and the pull both, we’re heartened to see more interest, and more swimming, in Graydon Pool.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/98186909_Everyone_in_the_pool.html
