So who's garage did the plastic palm trees end up in anyway?

"So who's garage did the plastic palm trees end up in anyway?"
Who's is a contraction, meaning "who is." The word you want is "whose," meaning belonging to whom.

Why are the membership numbers being provided in this article? Is it to justify spending money on new facilities or to perhaps turn the pool into a water park or cement bottom pool? It’s important to note that the pool revenue has increased due to an increase in the fees charged to join and because non residents have been allowed to join. The pool is not operating in the black. Bottom line is this…14% of Fair Lawn’s population utilizes the pool, operating the pool costs more than it brings in, and it costs the Borough between $600,000 and $750,000 annually to run the pool. Spending millions on the pool in the hopes that it will at least pay for itself, seems like a gamble the people of Fair Lawn should not be taking. Has any thought been given to keeping Walsh Pool open as the town swimming pool? Its smaller size will be less costly to operate, and it can still accommodate the 14% of our residents who wish to join

Pardon the brain fart. Those dumb trees were expensive, and they just vanished when the politicos were criticized for buying them shortly after installation. Remember the coral paint? Ugly!

The pool users must be the 14% of residents that actually show up to vote in local elections.

wrong have the T shirt. majority of the town supports the pool even if they dont use it. the same 5 people with nothing better to post complaints and cry about the library, pools, etc under fake names

So is it fair to say taxpayers eat 500k a year in loss from pool operations?

Somewhat tongue in cheek in terms of the #s, but not wrong in point, Wrong. I've read the pollster's reports and studied the digital voter turn out records in years gone by. It was at the early end of the years reported; a significant number of households who were members did in fact show up and vote in off year elections, more so than non member households. Great place to work a crowd, were you there too? And while the numbers were high in terms of support for the pool among non users, that support did not pose any limitations that I recall in the questions in terms of "if you knew it was operating at a loss and would you still say yes?"

"The question is going to be what kind of pool it will be in the future."

Last time the Republicans ran the show, under Mayor Trawinski and councilman Tedeschi (back when he was an R) there was a committee. A study, and (ooohhhh), experts too! A proposal for a "water park" resulted. Dust it off, call it something less 20th century, up the numbers for inflation since, and there we will have the answer to what it will become.

Nothing new under the sun in Fair Lawn politics at work here at all.

Good conversation. I fortunately am happy that I was able to sponsor a few individuals. I have a friend from River Edge, Teaneck, Washington Township and Edgewater who have all joined the pool. And I know of a number of other individuals who have joined this year but not in the past. But honestly? The town doesn't promote the pool. No advertising. I have a whole web album full of about 300 photos of the pool and I brought around 150 people last year as guest from 15 different towns in New Jersey, they all love the pool. I think the town really does need to promote it more. It is really worth bragging about. I have visited numerous other pools in the area as a guest and written write ups about them for my parents group which has 520 members, nothing compares to Memorial (except perhaps North Bergen's which has an amazing kids area). I don't think the town needs to make a profit on it, but it should make more money than it does and it could if it had something simple like having good photos online of it. I would even be glad to provide my photos as a starting point.

Where else would you find 75 meter lap lane?
http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=40.928735,-74.139546&daddr=40.928591,-74.138639&hl=en&ll=40.928522,-74.139218&spn=0.001185,0.002411&sll=40.928522,-74.139218&sspn=0.001185,0.002411&t=h&mra=mift&mrsp=1&sz=19&z=19

Omg !!! Either join the pool or don't and if you don't why don't you let those who do enjoy it and shut up already..haters!!!

Really....for me its about community and an inexpensive way to have fun with your kids and everyone having fun and enjoying Fairlawn....I guarantee most people yapping about the pool haven't been there in years...I didn't grow up here but have been here for 17 years and we love memorial.... I am pretty sure our taxes are not sky high because of the pool....kids from all different schools meet there...residence from all over town get to know each other....leave the friggin pool alone....we pay to join...its reasonable priced ....working parents have a great camp to send their kids..swimming lessons also very reasonable but the haters who ALWAYS post on the patch never mention those points do they?????????????

Go Kristine!!!! Totally agree!!

@MJM - it is about hate, and a bunch of really cheap people who begrudge everything that they don't participate in. And that's all it is. I remember the effort in the town I grew up in to build a town pool - it was on the ballot for decades and every time it was, there would be a group mustering out all the doddering old folks that never bothered to vote to show up and vote against it, because those that benefited most from it were young adults with families and children. It's no different here. The endless complaints about the vast expense of the library, the Senior Center, the Community Center come from people that don't use those things and are upset that someone else who needs them does use them. If it were the majority of these people, there would be no public schools, no fire department and no public services at all, just like it were pre-Civil War America where people that lost work starved to death, and most died by the time they were forty. But think of all the money saved by those that didn't die, smug in their own comfortable existance.... I am not surprised by the abundance of self-centered greed, but I am disgusted by it. The logic behind it is so filled with personal animus, so should they, but never seem to understand or see themselves for what they really are. Greedy and cheap and unAmerican.

@mjm ....I do have an opinion and it does count....I do volunteer at the schools in fairlawn so once again your wrong...if you have all the answers Mr anti fairlawn why didn't you run for mayor...hmmmmm maybe because you couldn't make it...Fair Lawn is a great town to raise a family and although the taxes are high they are high everywhere in Bergen county... FairLawn offers many things that other towns don't...inexpensive camps,pool, sports ect ...I don't have all the answers but I am proud to be a part of a great community..if your not then move!

The debates and past surveys and groups that have advocated public questions re the pool in town have not been about closing it, they have been about replacing the sand bottom pool that leaks into the ground water with a modern facility including a kiddie area. The Dems of the past decade went with the rec center as the big budget priority. From the article and mentions of new surveys it seems like the new Rep majority is considering re-visiting the sand vs. cement debate they advocated in the 90's when last in control of the council.

I predict "We're just studying it now for when the economy turns around" and "with interest rates so low it is the right time to bond for a new pool" are phrases that will be echoed in this town yet again.

The issue with the pool is financial responsibility. We are taking a bath with the Community Center at a rate of about 1.4- 1.6 million a year. The pool generated just under $280,000 and cost about 600,000-750,000 to operate for the season, about 10 weeks. As a resident of Fair Lawn we have an obligation to question the spending and to ensure that any changes at Memorial Pool will not put us, the residents, into a bigger financial debt.

The drumbeat of fiscal prudence grows. End the pool subsidy NOW. Let's see it on the ballot.

Exactly Tom!!!!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: The pool and the Rec Center aren't going anywhere. These forums are not a reflection of what the town feels and thinks. It's a miniscule subset of people that post under multiple pseudonyms that have no real value to add to a discussion. There isn't going to be a referendum on any ballot. Get over it already.

I agree with Tory and Kristine. Our pool and summer camp are wonderful rec programs at a low cost. I feel that if more FL residents joined the pool, there would not be the need to garner memberships from out-of-towners. Memorial really is worth bragging about and deserves a step-up in promotional efforts.

Posting this here from another article for the few (fill in the blank):

A program that was never intended to make money can't lose money. This is where everyone gets it confused. The pool, the Rec Center and the Library are services. Neither were ever intended to generate revenue in the regard of supporting itself.

Sorry for the cross posting today. Seems like the pool keeps popping up (Note: This was a response to someone. I felt it was applicable here.):

Neither of these services are going to get cut, nor are they going to appear on the ballot. They might not be considered essential to you, but to a parent that can't afford a vacation, they might be. Otherwise, their kids sit around the house all day being idle. Is that healthy? So do you really want struggling families not to have a service that allows children to stay healthy during the summer? Or would you rather see them run around the streets in the 90+ degree weather and suffer heat related illnesses? Where do you stand on that? Or, what would be your alternative?

@Chris, thank you for the correction of programs vs services. @MJM there is no need to bedraggle others opinions here or judge them, since you do not know them personally.

"The strongest push for redevelopment of Memorial Pool occurred from 1995 through 1998 when a plan for a new concrete family center was developed and pitched to residents in a public forum in 1997.

The proposed plan was estimated to cost $2.5 million in 1995 for a lap pool with a deep end, water slides, a lazy river and other amenities. An amended plan in 1997 included several other "must-do items" such as parking lot reconstruction, the demolition and reconstruction of a bathhouse on the southeast side of the pool, and refurbishing of the main bathhouse, bringing the total cost to $4.3 million.

Due to the anticipated cost, the governing body at the time held a public forum on the issue and had proposed a referendum to allow voters to decide the fate of an aquatic family center. Records from the borough clerk’s office indicate a referendum on the aquatic park and family center never materialized.

[poster's note: Republicans lost control of the town, Ganz wanted an indoor pool in the Rec Center (that also never materialized), the memorial re-do was dead as of that change in control]
http://www.northjersey.com/community/96492159_Tax_dollars_dripping_away_at_Memorial_Pool_.html?page=all

Tommy-P: If you don't want to live in Radburn, you don't have to drive very far to see Lisa Swain at her day job, and not much farther to see Kurt Peluso at his. BOTH of their employers offer pool access year round. Hyatt Place in Fair Lawn also has an indoor pool.

You keep comparing our lovely, sand bottom, large, outdoor pool with indoor pools that are only good for swimming laps. You can't just go to the Y or The Hyatt and catch some rays and hang out with friends and frolic in the pool. The Y does have deep and shallow ends however the Hotel pool is max 4' deep. Hotels do not pay lifeguards so the pools are not allowed to be that deep. So much fun to step in the pool. No diving allowed. The pools are Apples and Oranges.

As for the Radburn pools-they are private to Radburn residents. Radburn residents can join Memorial Pool. Any Fair Lawn resident may join.

I do agree that a day pass for residents would be a nice option but I do not understand the need to try before you buy for a Memorial Pool membership. It is a pool. Open from 10am to 8pm.

What I see? It's quite obvious if people who wanted to use the town pool paid their true share, nobody would join the pool. Membership fees would triple, hence why I call Memorial Pool, the "Soviet Republic Pool" !

FL residents CAN purchase a day pass without being a member. Its $10 on weekdays, $20 on weekends and holidays. If you people get off your computers and go there you would know this

Chris and Linda, I feel the pool and the community center should be here for good. I also feel the residents were misled with the community center. A project that started at ½ million goes to 12+ million on a building that is hardly used, I don’t want to see this happen with Memorial Pool/Memorial Park. I use the pool but a pool that size is not in the best interest of all the residents (14%). The town should have kept upgraded Walsh Pool open and give Memorial Park a face lift. That would be money well spent.

hmmmmmm mjm why did you remove your comment about volunteering at a school is lame????? Your opinion ?? Now we all know how much its worth....thanks bye!

The pool operates at a net loss of $500,000 annually. 14% of the residents use the facility. So, I should keep my mouth shut and my wallet open.

In an article, on the insurance payout for the trailers, which was around the amount that the pool is "losing" came to about $10.00 in lower tax per household.
So that means the cost to each taxpayer to "subsidize" the pool is around $10.00-11.00.
If the cost to operate Radburn's "private pool", for Radburnians Only--NO OUTSIDERS ALLOWED, is funded through RA dues and it seems like most of the complainers are from Radburn. That might why they complain so much, they're already "subsidizing" their own pool.

@Chris, you mention that the Rec Center is a service. While I agree with you, I have to then ask this-Why does the Borough Charge groups like St Anne Stages (90% Fair lawn Residents) a fee to perform there when I already pay for it with my tax dollars? Thats double taxing me. As a resident, I should be able to use the center with no charge dont you think? This is something I will be bringing up to our council.

Is the town looking at improving Walsh and using it instead of Memorial? Would it cost less to operate?

look out tommy boy. you got competition. looks like mjm wants to steal your crown as top snapperhead.

@ mei won sum- tommy p hasnt posted in a few hours which is a new record for him. im assuming mjm is one of his multiple names so i wouldnt consider it competition.

@tommy p- very eager to get a response on why i believe you are a hypocrite that i posted above. or is this going to be like the time you said radburn residents can get out of paying dues but never supported this claim when questioned?

To belair: I went there today & confirmed, if you are a FL resident you can get a day pass($10 weekdays $20 weekends & holidays) as long as you prove your residency.

To mike Acosta: this is the best thing you ever said :"keep my mouth shut" take your own advice! And by the way (just my opinion) I don't think the people of FL would ever vote you in for council.

"They also generate revenue while utilizing these resources. A nominal use fee is not unfair regardless of the make up of the group." @ Chris- It aint nominal. Its ridiculous.

I don't have the $$ figures. But they charge too much for something I am paying for with my tax dollars. Does the town charge the basketball players, volleyball players, track users, fitness center users? This is a group that is 90% Fair Lawn residents, unlike OLT that has mostly non residents, yet they pay nothing, from what I understand. It's a couple grand a production from what I understand. The borough is charging because ganz and co. built something we couldn't afford.

Did ANYONE show up at these meetings????? (rhetorical)

This building is a community center, not the Shubert. It is either self sustaining via rentals, or it is a service to the community. It can't be both.

I disagree. It was never intended to be self sustaining. It was built for the community. I believe Ganz sold people on the fact that it could potentially be self sustaining. And it was supposed to be built with donations. We see how that worked out. Lol..

@Mei: What civic groups are you referring to?

Chris, the real sad part is he actually believed it could.

The numbers provided in this article clearly indicate the fiscal irresponsibility in Fair Lawn. Keep in mind that this is only one of the 'valuable' services. Let's look at the Community Center and the Senior Center next.

Swimming in other people's urine. No thanks.

As an FYI I love this pool. I am also a working parent and would typ8ically go after work so around 4:00. I also brought guests from all over bergen county who absolutely love it. I don't live in Radburn nor at the moment do I want to, I really like inclusive communities open to everyone. I have never used the community center nor the senior center but I am ok with subsidizing it. Memorial is a truly valuable asset to the town of Fair Lawn and should I ever move from this town it is what I would miss the most.