Bathing beauties and water babies rejoice – starting this week, the Secaucus Swim Center will be open for full summer hours.
The four-pool complex, which has been open on weekends since May 28, will be open for regular weekday hours starting Monday, June 18.
This marks the second year that the young and young-at-heart can shoot down the new water slide and splash around in the sprinklers in the children’s pool.
Residents excited
Last week, students said they were looking forward to enjoying the pool. John Lynch, 14, will be taking his first trip to the pool later this week as part of an end-of-the year class trip. “I’ll be trying to stay out of trouble and have a fun time,” the Secaucus Middle School eighth grader said. While he enjoys slipping down the swim center’s slide, Lynch said that he has another favorite poolside attraction. “I like jumping off the diving board.” Secaucus High School junior Shauna Genatt will also be at the pool this week – working as a lifeguard. This is Genatt’s second year watching over swimmers. She will spend 3.5 days per week at the pool for the rest of the summer, but she doesn’t mind. “I like to swim. I like to be in the sun,” she said. “It’s not a bad job.” Registration still open
The Secaucus Swim Center has been around since 1975, said John Voli, director of the Secaucus Recreation Department. Since then, it has undergone a number of changes. The slide and children’s pools sprinklers were added two years ago, and the changing rooms were also renovated, said Voli. This year, a new filtration system was just installed to assist in the pools’ water circulation. Full season and weekend-only memberships to the swim center are still available. People from out of town may also apply, but they must be sponsored by a Secaucus resident who is a 2007 member. A full membership for a resident family of four comes to $416.95. A weekend individual membership for a person over 21 costs $154.80. Guest passes are available for $8 per person on weekdays and $10 per person on weekends and holidays. For more information on the different membership plans available, county residents may call the Recreation department at (201) 330-2078. Fireworks planned
In addition to the standard sunbathing and lap swimming, the pool offers a number of different activities for members and visitors this year. In late June, water exercise classes will be offered on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, with a Senior Citizens’ morning workout class offered on Tuesday mornings. The town has planned a Fourth of July celebration, complete with fireworks, for July 3. Swim Center Manager John Schwartz said that the Fourth of July celebration is something that many visitors to the pool look forward to. “It’s a very big turnout,” he said, adding that there will be refreshments, rock climbing and bounce-houses at this year’s celebration. In July and August, members, as well as town residents, can sign up for swim lessons. Competitive swimmers can join the Secaucus Seahawks swim team, which is also registering members. Getting ready for opening day
Starting this weekend, pool hours will be 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekends and holidays. During weekdays, the hours are 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. A recent visit to the swim center last week found members of the Recreation Department putting finishing touches on the pools and the surrounding lawns. Rec department employee Justin Cetro was hard at work guiding a long water vacuum through the bottom of the main pool. “We’re getting ready for opening day, noted Cetro. Comments on this piece can be sent to mfriedman@hudsonreporter.com