Politics & Government

Tell Us: What Upgrades are More Important to Crystal Springs?

Would you prioritize new bathrooms or new slides?

A multi-million dollar project to improve the Crystal Springs Family Aquatic Center is on hold as the Township Council discusses whether the full scope of the two-phase plan is necessary. 

Phase one of the upgrades include a new "speed" water slide, reconstruction of the existing water slide tower, and a spray park and sitting area near the kiddie pool, with an original target completion date for the start of Summer, 2014. Phase two of the upgrades would include the construction of a new building for offices, locker rooms and bathrooms to replace the existing structure, with work on that phase to have begun at the end of Summer 2014. 

In total, both phases of the upgrade plan are expected to cost between $2.5 million to $3 million. Because Crystal Springs is funded by membership fees, the improvements will not have any impact on taxpayers or the municipal budget.

At the council's last meeting, during a public hearing for a $1.5 million bond ordinance to pay for phase one of the improvement plan, some concerns were raised about the need for all components of the project.

Councilwoman Nancy Pinkin said she couldn't support the entire proposal due to fiscal pressures and that she'd rather see the upgrades stay within reason. 

"I've long been advocating for repairs to the bathrooms," Pinkin said during the meeting. "I have concerns about doing the entire project. I feel some of these items maybe more than we need."

Council members Michael Hughes and Denise Contrino were in favor of implementing both phases of the upgrade proposal, as they felt the improvements were needed to allow Crystal Springs to continue to grow.

"I'm fully in support of this. Crystal Springs is one of the gems of East Brunswick," Contrino said during the meeting. "If we don't keep up on it, it won't continue to be a hotspot and will get old, tiresome and dilapidated."

The bond ordinance was ultimately tabled as the council did not have the needed four votes to move forward. Mayor David Stahl said the delay would cause the township to miss an opportunity to perform the necessary phase one construction work before winter begins, so a different proposal may be presented to the council, but none of the work would be ready for the upcoming season.

So tell us in the comments section, which phase of the two-part project is more important to you? While work on the slide tower is important for safety reasons, would you like to see the new water slide and spray area first, or new bathrooms and locker rooms first? Do you think Crystal Springs needs a new slide and spray area or should the upgrades be scaled back?


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here