TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON, N.J.—The Township Council authorized negotiations to begin toward acquisition of Washington Township Swim & Recreation Club, the private nonprofit social club on Ridgewood Boulevard abutting the Garden State Parkway, at a purchase price of $850,000.
Resolution 21-181 was approved, 3-0, at the April 5 meeting. Voting yes, and without comment, were Council President Stacey Feeney, VP Desserie Morgan, and newly returned member Tom Sears—appointed the same meeting to replace the late Arthur Cumming.
Members Steven Cascio and Michael DeSena—who is challenging for mayor—were absent.
The resolution doesn’t refer to the swim club but rather its tax lot and block numbers. It is not clear why the town appears to be finalizing a purchase price before negotiations end.
Town tax records show the lot has a land value of $1,173,200 and an improvement value of $200,000 for a total assessed value of $1,373,200
The resolution notes an objective of the Master Plan is to “preserve open space” “and the Township Council has determined that the Township could benefit from the acquisition of said real property and improvements.”
Mayor Peter Calamari said “The resolution does not currently bind the town in any way, shape or form,” rather that it permits the town to conduct further property negotiations in efforts to work out a sale.
He said there was “no intent” to buy the property for public works operations or maintenance of DPW vehicles. He said there would be no storage of vehicles there, no hazardous materials stored there.
He said there was “just potential to store some Township-owned equipment” in the parking lot or possibly leave the lot as part of the swimming club.
We last wrote about the club, at 464 Ridgewood Road, in September 2019, noting it was then behind on its taxes and had a long list of former members who were overdue on steep membership bond refunds.
Town records show taxes of $8,531 are due May 1.
In our story in 2019, club co-president Loretta DeTitta told us that in trying to make ends meet, the club was renting space to a boxing and fitness instructor and another swim organization, and has benefitted from bartering.
She explained one revenue stream the club developed was shut down after a neighbor “ratted us out” to the town for letting members and others, in the off season, park commercial vehicles onsite, backed up to the Garden State Parkway.
Accusations in 2013 said the property, which is zoned residential, was being used as a transfer station. After officials found stored Dumpsters and roll-offs, the town lodged a cease and desist letter.
The situation led to the club losing some $10,000, DeTitta said.
“Something needs to happen. We’ll either fold—and that means sell it to a developer, I guess—or maybe the town can assist us. That would be the two things that would happen,” she said.
She added that the board had reached out to possible donors in town, but because the club isn’t a charity any such donations would not be tax deductible.
Amenities at the club, opened in 1963, included a heated Olympic-sized pool surrounded by lounge chairs, a fenced kiddie pool next to the main pool, locker and shower facilities, Wi-Fi, an enclosed (and rentable) clubhouse, a covered rec area with table tennis and foosball, a full-service snack stand, and a shaded picnic area.
One former member, Steve Kohlreiter—commander of VFW Post 6192, a eucharistic minister, and a brother knight with the Mother Seton Council—alleged the swim club is mismanaged.
He said on a township taxpayer forum on Facebook—where he and others were trading bond war stories—that reimbursements have been overdue too long and that he had support for a class action lawsuit.
“They have jerked my chain all this time and I’m sick of it. I’ve been patiently waiting for 15 years to get my bond money back. I was told I was fifteenth on the list, about where I was 15 years ago,” Kohlreiter told Pascack Press.
He added, “Perhaps it’s time for them to close the pool and sell the property to pay back the bondholders.”
The club receives neither financial aid nor incentives from the township, though former Councilman Joe D’Urso told Pascack Press in 2019 that a municipal tax break was in play until it was brought up in the 2010 budget discussions and “corrected.”
He said the officials involved are now gone.
DeTitta told Pascack Press that she thought the problem wouldn’t have been as pronounced had the town been able to offer resources as social trends changed.
“It’s not easy to do major improvements that people want to see—like, other pools [including in Westwood] have slides. They want to see more. We’re very low-key,” she said.
The club board acknowledged criticism by blogging at the time, in part, “The list of those who are waiting for the return of their bond payment is of utmost importance to us. We do not take this responsibility lightly and work very hard not only to keep the swim club open, but to attract new members.”
Looking ahead, Pascack Press reached out to Calamari for his views on what the township could do—or perhaps had been invited to consider—relative to the club.
He said on Sept. 23, 2019 that he had no comment.
On April 5, the council voted to authorize negotiations for the swim club approximately 2 1⁄2 hours into the 3 1⁄2-hour meeting, following a long break for a closed session. The discussion begins at 2:20:50 of the April 5 WCTV-NJ meeting recording.
We reached out to Calamari for comment on the town’s interest in the land and its improvements, and any news on reimbursements for bondholders, but did not hear back by press time.
WEB UPDATE: Hours after our issue containing this front page story was published, on April 8, Calamari took to his official Facebook page to say why he supports this purchase—and ended with, “The first use I would like to research is leaving it as a swim club. All the infrastructure is in place for it. I would like to review the numbers the existing club has to see the expenses and then estimate how much income it will need to generate.”
Calamari led with, “The number one reason I believe we should investigate this [purchase] is my commitment to open space and my opposition to overdevelopment. There are few, if any, six-acre pieces of property left in the town. The town has a repose on Fair Share Housing units until 2025, which is not far away. I do not want to see a developer purchase the property, sit on it until then, and then propose building an outrageous number of units on the property.”
He added, “My fear and concern is that by allowing the property to be potentially sold to a developer it will result in, at the very least, an expensive and drawn-out legal battle, or at worst, a court ruling that allows a high-density housing development. That would threaten the small-town single-family housing quality of life we all enjoy and work so hard to maintain and protect. It could also lead to a significant influx of students in our already overcrowded school system and an associated increase in school taxes.”
Calamari said, “I must be careful about what I say and do not say regarding these types of applications. Applications before the boards must legally be judged on their individual merits and drawbacks. Statements made by town officials about applications outside of board meetings and based on anything outside the scope of the application can be characterized as prejudicial. This can later be exploited by a developer in court to set aside board rulings and judgements and decisions. So please understand that my overriding belief is that any potential development or building in Washington Township should be consistent with existing zoning laws.”
He added, “I want everyone to understand that the resolution the council approved does not bind the town to anything yet. The town and the property owners decided to agree on a purchase price before further negotiations regarding the terms of the sale. Although there are many possibilities for the property if the town acquires it, I would like to point out what will NOT happen with it in my administration.”
He said:
- It will not become a base of operations for the DPW. We believe if we can store some of the DPW vehicles and equipment there, it will allow us the proper space to construct a new DPW facility in the same space and location it is now.
- There will not be any hazardous materials stored there.
- There will not be any maintenance of equipment done at the site.
- Anyone who has visited the Town Hall parking lot recently sees that space there is tighter than ever. The DPW and the police department have acquired equipment to enable them to do their jobs more efficiently and effectively than ever before. This equipment is useful and necessary, but it does take up space.
— With John Snyder