6/24/20
The Township of Morris Department of Parks and Recreation is pleased to announce that the Township’s two Family Swim Pool facilities – Ginty Pool and Streeter Pool – will open for the season on Friday, July 3, 2020. This is consistent with Governor Murphy’s anticipated expansion of public gatherings to 500 people on this date (Current outdoor capacity limitation is 250 people).
The New Jersey Department of Health issued an administrative document – New Jersey Covid-19 Outdoor Pool Standards after Governor Murphy announced a green light to reopening public swimming pools for the 2020 season in Executive Order #153. It is this administrative document that is guiding the Township in re-opening for public swimming under the cooperation and support of the Morris Township Board of Health and local health officials.
Central to the standards from the NJ Dept. of Health is to vigorously maintain social distancing for all those entering a public swimming pool, both on the deck and grassy lawns and also in the water. To that end the State has implemented capacity limits for swim pool areas based on a formula of pool surface area and grounds capacities to insure proper social distancing designed to limit the potential spread of the Covid-19 virus.
We have calculated our 50 percent reduced capacities for Ginty and Streeter Pools, 715 and 525, respectively, each of which total above 500 persons capped by the State guidelines. We have also researched our historical visitation patterns for past pool seasons. With the anticipated mandated limits of no more than 500 people gathering within each pool complex at any given time, we will be taking a conservative action limiting our 2020 Season membership to a total of 1,000 categorical members, estimated at 2,500 individuals, very close to ½ of our usual seasonal pool membership. Spread between the two swimming facilities, we believe that we will be able to comfortably maintain the social distancing required by the Executive Order mandates. Per the NJDOH guidelines, we will limit our pool attendance to no more than the mandated capacity indicated by the State for any specific operating time period.
The Standards also require that certain high-touch amenities at the swim pools remain closed. At both swim pools, the slides and the diving board will remain closed to start the season. The spray features at the wading pools will remain open, but will require social distancing control by parents and caregivers. At Streeter Pool the small vortex pool will not be operating with its forced-water circular flow.
In an effort to also limit high-touch exposures and cleaning, our picnic tables, deck benches and lounge chairs at both pools will removed for the 2020 season. Members may bring their own lawn chairs, but chaise lounges are discouraged.