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At Preservation New Jersey press conference in Trenton (L-R):
Laurie Howard, Ridgewood Historian Joe Suplicki,
Preservation NJ Programs Director Stephanie Cherry-Farmer,
attorney Stuart Lieberman, Lucy Rieger, Alan Seiden,
with Graydon photos in background
Laurie Howard, Ridgewood Historian Joe Suplicki,
Preservation NJ Programs Director Stephanie Cherry-Farmer,
attorney Stuart Lieberman, Lucy Rieger, Alan Seiden,
with Graydon photos in background
What an awesome couple of weeks!
Tuesday, May 11: The candidates we endorsed won the Council election. We’ve written to you about that already—but the endorphins are still popping.
Tuesday, May 18: Preservation New Jersey (PNJ) accepted our application (submitted last November) to place Graydon Pool on its list of the 10 Most Endangered Historic Sites in New Jersey for 2010. PNJ has begun to focus more closely on locations that enhance quality of life, are environmentally sound, and, with proper maintenance and marketing, financially sustainable.
Excerpt from Graydon’s page on PNJ’s website: “As the sustainability movement grows, it seems logical that pools like Graydon, free of the chemical overload required to keep the water in concrete pools clear, be treasured and celebrated as models for sustainable development. Why shouldn’t Ridgewood’s current municipal pool stand as a statewide ‘green’ model?…PNJ encourages Ridgewood’s municipal leaders to recognize the significance of this resource and use this to promote the site….PNJ believes that proper maintenance and care, combined with accurate public education and marketing that promote and celebrate this Ridgewood landmark, could hold the keys to saving Graydon Pool as a viable and historic community resource.”
Preservation New Jersey is an independent nonprofit organization, not a state agency. Its affirmation of the need to preserve Graydon does not endow our pool with formal protection, but will increase awareness. PNJ promises to keep relaying our message and to provide ongoing help.
Ink
Stories about Graydon’s inclusion on the “10 Most Endangered” list quickly appeared in The Record, The Ridgewood News, and Patch.com.
The Record, May 21 Friday, May 21: To our delight, The Record ran a heartfelt editorial supporting not only our goal, but also our group.
Excerpts: “The recession has stalled [the RPP’s proposed concrete replacement project]….At least for now. What a relief….Happily, the good work in Ridgewood has already begun. As one committee planned for the plake’s replacement, another effort emerged to promote and modernize Graydon as it is.” Hey—they get it!
Also on May 21, The Ridgewood News published a letter from Suzanne requesting donations of these items (or the offer to purchase them) wanted for Graydon by Parks & Rec:
• croquet set
• board games with all the pieces, for Borrow a Game
• complete decks of cards
• paperbacks for adults and teens or any kind of children’s books for the Graydon Summer Lending Library
• basketball net
• perennials for planters
A request for more ping-pong tables yielded two. Prepare your backhand!
To donate new or used items or to offer to pay for their purchase, call Nancy Bigos, Deputy Director of Parks & Recreation, at 201-670-5560. Please say the Coalition sent you.
Appropriate decision: RFP held for next Council
Meanwhile, on Thursday, May 20, Councilman Patrick Mancuso, who formed the Council-appointed Graydon Pool Committee last summer, said at a meeting of the committee that he would give the current draft of a Graydon Request for Proposals (RFP) document to the next Council, taking office on July 1; they will decide what, if anything, to do with it. Our position: the RFP should be tabled.
We’re an integral presence in town
Our Coalition is now a proud member of the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce and the Ridgewood Guild.
We look forward to partnering with both groups to enhance Ridgewood’s downtown, which is geographically close to Graydon, and Village life in general, as Graydon has done for 8 decades.
NEW! Bricks-and-mortar source for Preserve Graydon items
At the first Ridgewood Guild meeting on May 11 (election night!), held at Capital One Bank, Eileen Negrycz and Coalition co-chair Marcia Ringel showed our ice skater note cards to bank vice president and Guild board member John Kiernan. He immediately asked, “Can we sell these?” Bingo—the downtown venue we’d wanted for selling our items was found without having to ask!
As a result, our beautiful note cards and NEW posters (13×19 inches, horizontal) of Dorothy Warren’s “Sunday Skaters” (at Graydon) as well as our car magnets can be purchased at Capital One, 9 E. Ridgewood Ave., near Broad St. (“Keep Graydon Natural” yard signs are available only through our Graydon Store.) Thank you, Pat Hensley, for making the arrangements. And thank you, John.
Hours: M-W, 8:30-6; Th-F, 8:30-7; Sat 9-3. Phone: 201-493-3900.
Joe Suplicki and Peggy Norris answer questions
after their presentation on Ridgewood’s parks
Centennial celebration included a cake
with Graydon’s tree and island
Badge buyers enjoyed a slice of cake while waiting
Saturday, May 22: At the library, Peggy Norris, Local History Librarian, and Ridgewood Historian Joe Suplicki commemorated the centennial of the dedication of Graydon Park (then called Linwood Park) with a slide show and lecture on Ridgewood’s parks. Lucy Rieger supplied a 100th-birthday cake decorated by Marybeth Ehler, owner of Folly, the North Broad Street flower shop.
Nearby, at the Graydon Pool badge office, a long line of badge buyers took advantage of the early-bird prices and enjoyed the rest of the cake.
Summer’s coming
If you haven’t bought your badge yet, you can do so at graydon.ridgewoodnj.net.
See you at Graydon’s opening weekend, June 5 and 6 (free to Ridgewood residents).
Congratulations to all for the Coalition’s many achievements.
Swimmingly,
Marcia Ringel and Suzanne Kelly, Co-Chairs
The Preserve Graydon Coalition, Inc.,
a nonprofit corporation
“It’s clear—we love Graydon!”
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