Although the summer of 2020 is different than most, residents of South Orange will still be able to enjoy some in-town recreation this year. At a virtual town hall meeting on Tuesday, South Orange’s Director of Recreation and Cultural Affairs Peter Travers answered residents’ questions about this summer’s operation of the South Orange Pool. South Orange and Maplewood pools are scheduled to open July 6.
To find the complete guidelines [and find out how to sign up], please visit: http://
The South Orange Pool will feature five time slots: Early Bird swim from 6:15am-8:00 am, a session for seniors and at-risk members from 8:20am-9:40 am, and three general slots from 10:00 am-1:00 pm, 1:30 pm-4:30 pm, and 5:00-8:00 pm respectively. There will be cleaning windows in between each swim period.
Members will have to register for their preferred time slot online or by phone ahead of time. Up to 300 people can register per window, and members are limited to 1 time slot per day. Walk-ups will not be allowed at this time, even if fewer than 300 people are registered.
Early Bird swim does not count towards the single daily slot limit, although senior/at-risk swim does. Early Bird swim does not require pre-registration, and early swimmers will be checked in using a roster of those with an Early Bird membership to allow for possible contact tracing. However, Travers stated that if Early Bird attendance goes above 300, the slot will require pre-registration.
According to Office of Emergency Management Coordinator Scott Egelberg, all South Orange pools have passed health inspections. “There’s no holdup from the Department of Health,” Egelberg said. The South Orange Pool plans to follow DOH guidelines including staggered entry, use of sign-in sheets for contact tracing, and required mask-wearing when not in the water.
The pool has also hired social distancing ambassadors to enforce public health procedures, and is looking to hire more. “It’s gonna be a very different pool season, but we’re excited,” said Travers.
Read about Maplewood’s pool plan for the summer here.
