Summer Heat Never Too Much For Jim Cunningham

Each year, thousands of Verona residents come to the municipal pool on Fairview Avenue to beat the summer heat.

In Jim Cunningham’s role as director of community services for the town, the pool is just one of the things he oversees.

On a recent morning, Cunningham sat down under the gazebo at the pool complex to talk about his role running the pool.

Will there be anything new or different for folks when they come to the pool this year?

We replaced the lining of the pool. That was needed for the last 15 years and we actually got it done over this last season. In the process, we complied with federal standard to have two ample ways for the disabled to get into the pool. So with that, we added a concrete ramp into the pool, and we added another set of stairs with what’s called a ‘swim out,’ which is essentially a concrete deck under the water.

How does the town keep the pool membership affordable for residents?

The pool is a utility, so the money we take in is money that we spend on the pool. On average, the pool rates go up two or three percent every other year. And we’ve been fortunate. The pool has always operated in the black for its operational costs.

Who are the main users of the pool? Is it teenagers, kids, younger kids, adults, seniors?

If you look around the pool on a busy day, you’ve got your senior group, you’ve got moms with kids, you have families and you’ve got a teenager area. If I can reference my 25 years in the business, the group that dies down a little bit is the late teen-ager because they’re working or going to school. We get a lot of those kids to lifeguard, so they’re not necessarily patrons.

If there is either a big complaint or a big compliment you get about the pool, which do you hear?

We get both. I’ll go complaint first. There’s always question with when the pool is open. Some people want to get in earlier in the day.

When the pool’s operational, the complaints can be there’s too many bees if it’s that time of year.

(In terms of) compliments, the facility itself. It has a lot of aquatic activity and it also has a lot of non-aquatic activity. You don’t just have to swim when you come here. You can play basketball, volleyball. We have our rec tent, which is staffed with our employees, to provide crafts and games every afternoon.

Are you seeing membership go up or down?

We’re steady. For the last three years, we were within the same 10 memberships. The pool’s a great deal if you go to the pool. If you plan to come once, it’s not worth it. But if you’re here once or twice a week, it’s more than worth the fee.

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The municipal pool, located on 257 Fairview Ave., is open for residents only. Currently, the pool is open now for weekends between 12 and 8 p.m. on Saturday and 11-7 on Sunday, with adults-only swimming starting an hour earlier both days.

Full weekday hours, normally 12-8 p.m. do not start until school ends. On Wednesdays and Fridays, the pool is open an additional two hours. 

On Wednesdays, anyone living in Verona came to the pool between 7 p.m.-10 p.m. for Family Night.

For more information, visit the municipal website or call the recreation office at (973) 857-4830.