The family membership at the Maplewood Community Pool could drop below $400 this year for the first time in a decade.
In 2024, the Maplewood Township Committee helped reduce resident fees at the Maplewood Community Pool by 10%, using a combination of town funds and some leftover American Rescue Plan money.
“And we didn’t lose as much as we thought we would, because more people signed up for the pool,” said Deputy Mayor Malia Herman to her fellow Township Committee members at their meeting on Tuesday, May 18. “Which is a really amazing thing.”
You can watch the discussion about pool fees here, beginning at the 2:45:15 mark.
Herman asked the Township Committee to consider reducing pool fees by another 10% for the 2025 season. The full cost of covering the 10% discount would be approximately $87,000, said Herman, of which the township would cover half, or about $43,000.
That would mean the pool’s family rate, which Herman said was the most popular type of membership, would be less than $400. No membership would cost more than $500, Herman said, and the rates would be roughly equivalent to those paid by members in 2017.
“This would be not only continuing the township committee’s commitment to making the pool more affordable and more accessible, it would also be a bit of good news for residents,” Herman told the TC.
The Pool Advisory Committee, which Herman also serves on, proposed to bring back “very popular” early bird rates as well, Herman said.
“It was popular because everyone loves getting a deal,” she said. If that is done, those taking advantage of the early bird rates would receive the full 10% reduction in rates from 2024. Regular rates would then be 5% less than last year’s.
“So everyone gets a discount,” Herman said. “And if you do early bird, you get a bigger discount.”
That setup, Herman said, also means the pool does not have to absorb the full 10% cut all at once this year. The return of the early bird rates, Herman said, additionally protect the pool because more people overall will sign up for discounted memberships rather than procrastinating and possibly not joining at all in the end.
“We’re looking for that happy point where the rates and the demand really align,” Herman said.
Township Committee member Vic De Luca asked what would happen if “there’s a recession” and the demand for pool memberships this year is less than the projection. He proposed that the TC put the full $87,000 cost of the discounted pool memberships into its budget and “if we do get more money than we’re anticipating, well, that’s great.”
The Pool Advisory Committee will meet next week to prepare an ordinance proposing the new rate schedule to be presented at the April 1 Township Committee meeting. The township budget is also being presented and introduced at the April 1 meeting.
