Council Rolls Back Graydon Hours, Hesitant on Privatizing Concession Stand

The state of dominated council discussions Wednesday night, with the elected officials mulling over proposed changes to operation times, the Water's Edge Cafe and concern over the state of disrepair at the facility.

Preserve Graydon Coalition (PGC) co-chair Marcia Ringel opened the pool-related discussion during the public commenting portion, telling the council she hasn't noticed substantial improvements to the facility since I.

According to Ringel, there is erosion damage, fencing issues and a host of troubles she foresees with water quality unless action is taken, and quickly.

"The only visible sign of maintenance" was a man repairing an underground pump, Ringel said, wondering aloud how the village can attract people to the town "gem" with such slow progress.

"I've been ensured by staff that Graydon Pool will be ready for opening at the normal time," Mayor Keith Killion told Ringel, adding administrators will prioritize what needs to be fixed, and soonest.

The council also set its priorities on the Parks & Recreation Department's proposed hour changes during portions of the summer. P&R Director Tim Cronin told the council the proposed plan to open the pool on weekdays starting at 3 p.m. between June 2 and June 20 – when school was still in session – would save roughly $5,200. The pool has been opening at 12 p.m. since 1993, Cronin said.

The reduction in hours did not find much favor with the council.

"We want to get more customers, we pay more for the pool and lessen the hours?" asked Killion. "I'm just a simple man but we're asking people to pay more for a badge for less hours of use. That doesn't, in my mind, make a good faith attempt at trying to restore Graydon Pool."

His colleagues all concurred.

"There's a lot of families I think that rely on it and don't have any other place to go," Councilman Steve Wellinghorst said, a point that has been echoed by members of the public since this discussion first arose in March. 

Ringel asked the council to consider rolling back the hours even further, to a start time of 10 a.m. For now, the council is just looking to revert to last year's noon-time approach, though there still are some notable changes in order at Graydon.

Badges are going up between $10 for adults and $3 for kids, though seniors won't feel the pinch quite as much. The council elected to quash the administration's plan to increase senior badge prices up to $25 from $20 once the early badge season deals expire on May 19.

Finally, the council will continue to investigate privatizing the Water's Edge concession stand. Cronin said the savings could yield big dividend, eliminating $60,000 of salaries and other assorted costs, while providing a percentage of revenues around the $15,000 neighborhood.

The one-year bid calls for a 4 percent option increase the following year. Food offerings are essentially the same as when it was done in-house and Ridgewood teens/residents would be given priority in hiring.

Riche expressed skepticism to outsourcing given the wide disparity in revenue over the last four years. Some years broke even, others gained revenue and other lost money. The revenue ranged from $113,000 down to $55,000, Cronin said, telling the council about $74,000 in revenue is needed to break even.

"I'm uncomfortable taking this leap without figuring out what was causing the issue," Riche responded.

The council asked the Parks & Rec head to put together an analysis to better help the council understand the dichotomy of the concession stand's finances over a ten-year period.

[Correction: Ringel, when mentioning the apparent lack of maintenance, said she only saw a worker repairing a pump, not a pipe as first written.]