Groundbreaking For Long Branch Community Pool

LONG BRANCH, NJ — Long Branch Mayor John Pallone and the Council had a groundbreaking last Tuesday for the city's new community pool, which will be located on Pleasure Bay Park on Atlantic Avenue, directly across from 6th Street.

The multi-million dollar swim facility will feature a large pool, kiddie pool, a play area for children, concession stand and a shaded area for families. Officials hope it will be finished in time for next summer.

“We are very excited that the construction is underway,” said Mayor Pallone. “It will give our families a place to cool off in the summer, our seniors a place to exercise, and our children a place to learn how to swim. I know too many children and more than a few adults who never learned to swim, because Long Branch has no adequate community pool, and joining a private club is too expensive for many city residents. Everyone in a shore community should know how to swim. This is a basic safety issue affecting our city that we can correct now.”

But Long Branch's new pool is not without controversy: A number of Long Branch residents are battling the city's attempts to have the $2.1-million complex built.

The residents who oppose it have formed a community group called Baruch Atlantic, named for the streets that border where the pool would be located. They are concerned the pool will cause flooding, noise issues, traffic issues, a lack of pedestrian safety and be unsightly.

"Traffic issues are serious and we believe have never been properly addressed," said Stuart Lieberman, of the Princeton law firm Lieberman Blecher & Sinkevich, who was hired by the residents to fight the project. "We have people who live in this area in homes and apartments and we believe this pool in its current iteration threatens their quality of life."

He is contesting a special permit the state gave Long Branch to build the pool.

The developer is Green Field Builders, which is also building the Ocean Gate townhouse development nearby. Originally, Green Field asked the city for a tax abatement for that project.

"When we told them we were not going to give them special treatment, they offered to build us a park," Pallone said. "We instead told them to build us a community pool complex at Pleasure Bay Park and pay for it. They said yes."

So the developer is paying for the pool's construction and will also contribute an additional $500,000 to improve drainage at Ocean Gate townhouses, as flooding is another resident concern.

"In concert with the Board of Education and the Recreation Department, we will make sure every (Long Branch) child has an opportunity to learn how to swim," Pallone vowed.

Keep reading: Long Branch Residents Fighting $2.1M Community Pool Project (Aug. 21, 2020)