Residents call for free access to Lake Hiawatha Swim Club in Morris County, New Jersey
Lake Hiawatha Swim Club, opened in 1954, is a private pool based in Lake Hiawatha, Parsippany–Troy Hills Township, Morris County, New Jersey. The swim club has been profiting from recent heat waves in New Jersey, and is funded with summer memberships starting at $350 for a one-person-season pass. The pool also hosts local summer camp trips.
However, some residents of Lake Hiawatha are agitating that they would like the pool to be free for them since the community has no other such facility for the populace.
Carole Lawrence, a 29 year old Lake Hiawatha resident, insists that the pool should be free for residents. According to her, “many people in this town don’t have pools. Me and my family wish we could go to the Swim Club without having to pay so much for the membership.” She stressed that the facility “should become a community pool” and that residents should be let in for free.
Though some Lake Hiawatha residents think that the Swim Club should be run by the town and should be free for residents, officials at the pool said that they don’t want to be run by the town or local government and will likely always remain private with membership fees.
One staff member said that he wants nothing to do with the local government and would rather the pool remain private to ensure that the top quality being offered to members is maintained.
Surrounding towns such as Boonton, Mountain Lakes, Fairfield, and Whippany, have community pools that are free for residents and some community members wonder why the same should not be the case with Swim Club’s facilities.
“It is not fair,” said Lawrence who thinks that consideration for profit is being placed above the common good. “This is why there is no community feel in Lake Hiawatha. Both the Country Club on Knoll Road and the Swim Club are private,” she said, noting that “there really isn’t a shared space for residents to chill for free.” She insists that the authorities “need to fix this,” insisting that “it would do great for the community as well as for the many visitors the facilities get each summer.”
Parsippany’s local government has showed no interest in buying the pool and making it a public space, but its private status has been a subject of local agitation for a while. Bryce Caldwell, a 45 year old Lake Hiawatha resident also believes that Lake Hiawatha should have a public pool, and that the Swim Club has the facilities for it.
“It is ridiculous. When I was growing up in the area I always wondered why Lake Hiawatha didn’t have any public community pools, recreation areas, community gardens, etc that other towns get to enjoy around us,” said Caldwell. “I wish they either make Swim Club free for residents and side with the town, or the town provides us with more public amenities,” he stressed.
“Taxes are too high in this area for us to have to pay for a pool. I know its private, but come on,” said Caldwell.
According to statements from the Club’s officials and the lack of interest by Parsippany’s local government, it is highly unlikely that residents hoping that Swim Club will become free for all residents, or those looking for a public pool in Lake Hiawatha will have their aspirations met anytime soon. “But who knows,” a resident who pleaded anonymity said.
