Dear Editor:
To all those who oppose building a swimming pool at the edge of Liberty State Park, I would like to point out that the Liberty State Park Development Commission and I have different priorities. The Liberty State Park Development Commission wants the swimming pools to generate surplus revenue for general park maintenance. I don’t care if the swimming pools generate surplus revenue. I would be perfectly happy to see the State fund the construction of the swimming pools and the maintenance costs of the Park with general state revenues. Those who oppose building a swimming pool in the Park should get this straight, and stop mis-representing my position on this issue. My position is not the same as the Development Commission’s
.Those who oppose swimming pools should also acknowledge that they oppose building a new children’s day camp (Camp Liberty) in the Park, despite the fact that up until a few years ago, the Park had both a children’s day camp and a public swimming pool within its borders — neither of which created traffic problems.
Those who believe it would be nice to have a swim center built at the Park’s edge should voice their support on January 27 at the Liberty Science Center’s Williams Theater. In the meantime, I want to thank the over 1,000 Jersey City residents who have already communicated their support for this idea, and I want them to know that I will fight for them. Hopefully, those who disagree with this swim center idea will at least respect your and my right to possess a different dream for these few acres at the Park’s edge.
Bret Schundler
Mayor