Rumors have been circulating for a number of weeks now concerning the future of the Middletown Swim Club.
Some have said that the Swim Club was in the process of being sold to a developer who would be building townhouse on site and another said that the Swim Club was to be leased to a third party that would install an olympic sized swimming pool and an ice rink. No rumor that I am aware of mentioned that the facility would be closed completely for 2012.
Notice however, the small glimmer of hope offered by Township Aministrator Tony Mercantante, who stated in the press release that, "We are, however, looking at options that would allow the club to re-open with a different operator...", which seem to confirm the one of the rumors listed above.
Below is the announcement posted on the Middletown Township website concerning the closing of the Middletown Swim Club:
The Middletown Swim and Tennis Club will not be operated by the Township in 2012 as program fees have not covered its operating budget in recent years. Accordingly, Township Administrator Anthony Mercantante is recommending that the facility remain closed for the 2012 season, unless another entity can soon be identified to operate the club.
“Unfortunately, rising costs, declining membership, declining revenues, an aging facility, and staff reductions mean that it is no longer economically viable for the Township to continue to operate the facility,” Mercantante said. “The Township has been obligated to cover revenue shortfalls from its regular operating budget,” Mercantante explained, “and it cannot afford to do so any longer.”
“It is unrealistic to expect the Township Committee to ask taxpayers to help support a membership-driven facility, hoping that it will become self-sustaining again,” Mayor Tony Fiore continued.
The Township purchased the 10-acre aquatic facility from a private owner in 1997 for $1.225 million. The facility, located at the corner of Harmony and Old Country Road, has 4 swimming pools, 55 cabanas, 330 bathhouses, five tennis courts, a playground, snack bar and basketball, shuffleboard, bocce and handball courts.
The club, which is funded through membership and program fees, is managed through a utility that allows the facility to operate outside of the municipal budget. Revenues were to cover the purchase, operating costs and improvements. In the early years, the club largely paid for itself as anticipated. Since the national recession began in 2008, membership has declined and revenues are not covering operating and debt costs.
“No decision has been reached as to what to do with the facility in the long-term,” Mercantante said.
He added that the facility’s age is another factor in its fate. The club, which is more than 50 years old, will continue to need repairs and capital upgrades in the years to come. There are not sufficient revenues to support major improvement projects, Mercantante said.
“We realize that if the club does not open it will be a sad day for many families in the Township. We also realize it will be disruptive to some people’s summer plans, but the Township cannot afford to run the club in the red for another season,” Mercantante said. “We are, however, looking at options that would allow the club to re-open with a different operator and we are also looking at options to allow the main pool to be opened so that the award-winning swim team can stay together for another season,” he said.
“During these tough economic times everything must always be on the table. The decision not operate the swim club is one that we take very seriously. However, our obligation to provide core and essential governmental services cannot be compromised,” Mayor Fiore said.
34 comments:
Finally, a smart move by the Township!
WOW...you mean they are finally following the recommendations that Short and Byrnes made long ago...Good for them..they are finally getting it!
LOL- another Democrat proposal accepted only when the Democrats are gone.
This was a boondoggle from the outset.
What a shame that it was not managed properly. It was less expensive for a family who lives in Middletown to join Hazlet's swim club, as an outside resident, then it was to join our own swim club. If they had priced memberships properly perhaps more families would have joined and it would have remained a viable entity like it did for the 40 or 50 years before they took it over.
On a hot summer day you could drive by and see only a handful of cars in the parking lot because they priced it out of the range of the people who were most likely to use it, families with young children.
Why are other towns able to operate a successful club and we can't in Middletown?
And since when does a resource have to make money? Using that logic we should turn all our parks into townhouses.
Do the many basketball courts in town make money? Do the parks make money? Does the Middletown Arts Center make money above what we could collect in taxes for that parcel? Why wasn't the swimclub promoted and run like a business if making money was mandatory?
How about they sell off that ridiculous mini golf and use the money to keep a valuable resource that has been around for half a century. We have another mini golf in town, we don’t have another swim club and once it is gone it will be gone forever.
Why not offer a property tax break for someone who wants to run it as a club for residents instead of making a place that will be a burden on our school system? We don't collect taxes on it now anyway.
Maybe the TC should hire Short and Byrnes as consultants!!!
They ( Sean and Patrick) had some smarts, these clowns don't usually show signs of competence.
Now on to getting rid of the sewage authority. That will save plenty of money spent in patronage to the "former TC members" stashed on that no longer needed body of government. Middletown is "built out".
Is this a "Democrat" idea or the right thing to do for the taxpayers of the town?
I think we can see why our local Democratic party has not been so popular. Some of y'all seem to think that ideas have political pedigrees.
This is just common sense. Sad for many, but common sense.
Let's hope that someone else wants to run the facility.
A lot of money could have been saved if this was done five years ago. Next item is to stop paying $300,000 a year for utility expenses at the Middletown Cultural Arts Center and to sell the building. Move the MAC programing to the library and usae some of the sale money to expand parking at the library.
A HOME ice rink for our high schools would be nice!
Why is everyone so happy that the town has no parks & rec dept, cancelation of most childrens programs with end of Middletown Matters, no town pool, a library that the republicans want to rape & pillage then we entertain low incom housing projects and welcome a meth clinic? Boy do we have our bar set low. Lets just let the Arts center go down, then we will be a big 'nothing' of a town. Hey, while we're at it let's close the exit/entrance to the parkway!
No Legion, we just all know that good ideas are never or rarely born in the Republican Party,too busy conniving about how to enrich themselves...not the town.Rape our schools,rape our library,shut down the swim club, and should sell the Arts Center and should get real about taking care of our parks or turn some of them over to the county (they would get care then!).
Middletown's disgraceful default at governing is despicable and incompetent.
Our property taxes are so god damned high, I would be mad if it was being used to fund this. However, what are they funding? We pay more than many other places. It's a shame this has to close.
"...no parks & rec dept, cancellation of most childrens programs with end of Middletown Matters..."
Where DO you get your information?
It's this kind of lying that makes Middletown Mike's place a partisan hack blog as opposed to having any journalistic merit, especially since MM never refutes BS like this...
Can you name ONE program for children that was canceled in 2011 or that will be canceled in 2012?
Middletown Matters is a political rag for the TC goons....no journalistic merit...just republican BS !
Middletown Matters has cost us taxpayers plenty in postage and printing. Everything in there can be found on the internet.
Legion:
Yes I can name 1 program (I can actually name 10 programs that were canceled)
but to prove you are a jerk (I mean wrong) see if you can find where the Children's tennis camp that ran from 9-1 at Tindall Park for 5 weeks every summer (except in 2011 when it was canceled)
MM,
I agree you should start refuting BS. When you got time a few weeks to spare you can start with most of Legions angry, one sided, laffable comments on this blog.
I can't belive some commenters are applauding this!!
I'm with you Legion.
This is not a journalistic blog.
This is little more than a rumor mill.
For example, it's been almost a year and a half since Mike said that two current BOE members were going to be removed for ethics violations. It never happened and he never retracted his statement.
He has a "source" for rumors.
Now all he needs is a source for facts.
Anon 10:43,
As much as I would like to refute much of what commenters post here, I just don't have the time to do it. When there is something that is blatantly wrong or woefully uninformed posted I'll refute it.
I think other commenters do a great job of pointing out the BS so the need for me to do it isn't always necessary.
Anon 4:55,
As I stated many times here, I am not a journalist, I consider myself a commentator. There is a big difference.
As for posting of "rumors". I am very careful not to post a rumor unless it came from a very reliable source. I don't post BS.
The reason I post them as rumor is because the individuals that pass along the info don't want their names published because often times they are employees or retirees of the Township.
And you also need to get your facts straight, I never wrote that two BOE members were going to be removed from the BOE, I wrote that one was under investigation for an ethics violation and their removal was pending upon the results of the investigation. I may have jumped the gun a little on that but the source was again very reliable and was involved in the proceedings.
information from investigations by the State BOE is not released unless there is a decision rendered, so far the jury is still out and until I hear otherwise I have no reason to doubt what I was told.
If programs were canceled (and admittedly some might have been) it had nothing to do with staff reductions or budget cuts.
Perhaps the programs were ill attended or otherwise were unable to be maintained.
The allegation was the "cancellation of most children's programs," not one.
The truth is, in fact, that almost all recreation programs for children are and have remained in place.
I think we are seeing a continuing process of restructuring recreation in Middletown, and I think its about time.
Oh, and Mike,
How about you at least refute the "inside source" who told you last year that the Township Administrator was taking a job with the state because he had fallen out of favor with the TC?
What a load of crap THAT was.
Do you think your "sources" might just have an axe or two to grind when they spit out such nonsense?
Anon 6:48,
No, I wont "refute" what I posted about Mercantante because I believe what I wrote.
Sometimes when information gets out before others are ready for it to be released plans change and sometimes they don't. In this case Mercantante didnt get the job that I wrote about.
Did he not get the job due to what I posted or did he not get the job for some other reason? We'll never know.
What I do know is when Mercantante was asked about it by a reporter it was relayed back to me that he wouldn't confirm or refute what I posted. He had no comment.
And if you think Mercantante has a great working relationship with those on the TC you are delusional. Brain Nelson has become the mouthpiece of the TC, Mercantante can say a word at meetings unless Nelson gives him the "NOD".
Anon 8:23 AM,
It is not about making money as in making a profit; it is about making money so the club, or for that matter the Cultural Arts Center, doesn't lose money -- operate in the red. Tax dollars shouldn't pay for operating the club. Tax dollars are already paying for the bond that was issued to buy the club. From an overall resident usage/value perspective buying the club has shown a very low return on the initial investment and annual upkeep.
Anon 8:23 AM,
It is not about making money as in making a profit; it is about making money so the club, or for that matter the Cultural Arts Center, doesn't lose money -- operate in the red. Tax dollars shouldn't pay for operating the club. Tax dollars are already paying for the bond that was issued to buy the club. From an overall resident usage/value perspective buying the club has shown a very low return on the initial investment and annual upkeep.
Legion 11:52 AM,
It was a smart idea in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. It wasn't until 2011 that the T.C. decided to consider and announce the possiblity that the club would be put up for sale. It took three years for the Republican majority to consider an idea that Byrnes and Short introduced to save tax payer dollars. Byrnes also suggested selling other nonprductive real estate assets as well. Bottom line is that it is the right thing to do for taxpayers in town and the idea was the right thing to do when it was introduced by Democrats in 2008 -- unfortunately the idea and taxpayers were ignored until 2012.
Legion 11:52 AM,
It was a smart idea in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. It wasn't until 2011 that the T.C. decided to consider and announce the possiblity that the club would be put up for sale. It took three years for the Republican majority to consider an idea that Byrnes and Short introduced to save tax payer dollars. Byrnes also suggested selling other nonprductive real estate assets as well. Bottom line is that it is the right thing to do for taxpayers in town and the idea was the right thing to do when it was introduced by Democrats in 2008 and ignored until 2012.
That "little man", short in statue and short on stature who has a juris doctorate and no common sense, should sit with the professionals. HE WAS NEVER ELECTED TO OFFICE in this community!
This township is controlled by
Middletown's own version of a MOB !
It was a sad day for democracy when he became the lawyer for this town.Wonder if this crowd is so corrupt that they need a lawyer to hold hands with then at TC meetings. Or are they all,all six of them incompetent ? Those elected and the lone one who appointed himself to a "sixth seat" on the dais.
Anon 2:54,
People must be happy with the status quo and the way the Republicans have led and managed the township, otherwise the voters (those few who show up)would not keep electing Republicans to the township committee and sustaining a Republican majority.
Anon 2:54,
People must be happy with the status quo and the way the Republicans have led and managed the township, otherwise the voters (those few who show up)would not keep electing Republicans to the township committee and sustaining a Republican majority.
Next time you want to rewrite history Mike make sure the real account isn't still in print.
"I have been told that earlier this year, a member of the BOE, had an ethics complaint filed against them with the NJ School Ethics Commission and from what I understand it is serious. So serious in fact, that the ethics commissioner on November 15th, ordered the removal of the of the board member from the Middletown Board of Eduction."
"It is my understanding that the Middletown school board has 30 days from the time the decision was handed down to act upon it, which means that by the time of the next school board meeting Wednesday night December 15th, an announcement may be made."
"Just so you know, I have been told who filed the complaint, who the board member is and what the violation was about."
One month later in January, 2011:
"Sorry to disappoint but I stand by what I wrote. Sometimes these things take time to come to play out."
Anon wrote:
"There was no decision to remove a Middletown board member in November or at anytime."
To which Mike responded:
"you really need to stop hairsplitting, it exposes your neurotic side."
And now, a year later:
"information from investigations by the State BOE is not released unless there is a decision rendered, so far the jury is still out and until I hear otherwise I have no reason to doubt what I was told."
Really Mike? The jury is still out? I hope they were sequestered in a nice hotel for the last year. You have no reason to doubt what you were told? How about this, does this add some doubt?
It never happened.
You said that the decision was made in November of 2010. What would it take to convince you that your information was wrong, an act of Congress? You said that the ethics commission had already ruled on it, you even gave the specific date (November 15th, 2010).
Now, over a year later, you say that they may not have reached a decision yet. You can't have it both ways. Geez Mike, you don't have to be a MENSA member to see that your "informant" was wrong.
It's not your job to correct the BS that other people put on your blog, but what about your own?
And now Mike is "editing" the posting of those who disagree with him. My last post on this subject was not "approved" and this one might not be either.
The fact is that township employees or former employees often have an axe to grind. Spreading rumors is a great way to express their anger over something.
Giving those rumors a public forum, especially when not coming back and admitting that the "source" was lying after it is obvious that they were, really makes it look like this blog is nothing but a political weapon with no basis in truth.
Given the ravings about the local GOP's alleged tactics, it kind of makes you look hypocritical, no?
Legion,
Get over yourself.
Before accusing others of being dishonest you should look in the mirror and start posting under your real name instead of hiding behind "anonymous" handles.
You like to play dumb but yet know way too much information on way too many topics, not to be directly connected to Middletown's Republican Party or the TC in some way.
I do not have the capability to "edit" anything that a commentator wishes to post on this blog in response to something that I have posted. I do have the capability to approve or disapprove these comments and I have never disallowed any comment unless it was a personal message to me, a blatant attack or threat against me or someone else.
Just because comments aren't approved in a timely fashion doesn't mean I am editing them. I don't spend my day waiting for comments to post, I do have a life.
Further more there are times when I receive comments through my cell phone that get hung-up when trying to post to the blog and I find them later when I log onto the website. When I see that those comments didn't post, I post them right away.
Remember Legion, I am solely responsible for the content of this blog and I control it as I see fit. I can easily disallow anonymous commentator but I chose to allow them so that a dialogue can take place on topics.
As for the BOE post, I don't think anyone lied or feed me false information. I believe that an ethics probe was conducted but the announcement of the outcome wasn't made public which means one of two thing. One, the ethic complaint was dismissed on appeal (which I understand the complaint was appealed) or two, the case is still pending, either way however the general public will not know. The State Ethics Commission will not comment on any case unless there is a definitive outcome, believe me I know, I have called them several times in the past for comments.
So until I hear definitively I stand by much of what I posted.
Enough said....
So now you are saying that the State Ethics commission has made its decision. They decided that the board member should be removed. But because it is being appealed they did not release the decision to the public?
Do you know this Mike? Or is this more info from your source?
According to the state ethics commission website it is their job to make the district aware of the ruling. Are you telling me that this has been a secret in our district that the myriad of superintendents have kept from the administrators and the other board members?
And we are to believe that no one in the district besides you and your source know what is going on. Even though the township attorney would be the one defending the board member.
And this has been going on for over a year and a half.
Mike, get a clue. There is only one way to keep a secret, don't tell anyone. If more than one person knows about it, it's not a secret and everyone finds out. This is now a conspiracy theory of epic proportions.
Give it up mike. It never happened.
You are in a hole, stop digging.
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