For half a decade, the Centennial Avenue Pool in Cranford has drowned in debt, low membership, along with a plethora of other problems. Yet many residents of Cranford Township have rallied around their beloved pool and are fighting and raising money to save Centennial Ave Pool (CAP).
As someone who grew up in Cranford, I also have countless memories at CAP, whether it be swimming lessons, summer camp, or even jumping off the diving board for the first time. Those are memories that I will never forget. Yet, that doesn’t blind me from the fact that the pool is a financial liability to the town. Membership has plummeted–my family included–the pool lost $400,000 last year alone, and the facility is in dire need of repairs. Residents have also noted the staggering prices for membership, as last year’s membership hovered around $525 for a family of four, which is a lot of money for a pool with inconsistent hours for only four months of the year.
But the ‘drowning’ of the CAP pool hasn’t stopped some residents from trying to save their beloved town pool. Some residents have begun raising money on GoFundMe to fund the $400,000 needed for the repairs.
The weirdest thing about the whole fit from the residents of Cranford on closing a failing business and a financial liability to the town is that Cranford still has another pool on the other side of town. Orange Ave Pool (OAP), unlike its crosstown twin, has remained in better condition and is less of a financial burden on the town.
In my opinion, the town should scrap Centennial, sell it to the highest bidder, and adjust all the money into one pool to make Orange Ave Pool as nice as possible. Some residents of Cranford have acted like the closure of Centennial is the end-all-be-all of the town and that without two pools the town will tumble into despair. Yet many towns in New Jersey don’t have one pool, let alone two. The town has been fortunate enough to have two pools, but eventually the modern day is going to outlast the demand for two town pools for a town of 24,000 people. The pool is a declining burden and those who still go are raising money. I say should put that money into OAP and make that the best town pool. I would rather have one beautiful, perfect pool that townspeople are on a waitlist to join than have two pools falling both apart and into debt. The time has come because surely the memories of Centennial will last forever and it will be sad to see the pool go, but new times call for new ideas, and if CAP isn’t working then maybe some new fresh idea will make it all the better.
This opinion is current as of February 20, 2025.
