Parents look for new location for swim team
WEST MILFORD. At the Township Council meeting Wednesday, Mayor Michele Dale said she would wait to address the issue until after meeting with swim team representatives Friday
| 01 May 2023 | 09:41
A member of the West Milford Devil Rays swim team speaks to the Township Council on Wednesday, April 19. At left is Rachel Bohmann. (Photo by Kathy Shwiff)
Robert Nolan, a 42-year West Milford resident, said his four daughters were part of the swim team and now two grandchildren are members. (Photo by Kathy Shwiff)
Colleen Fraser was a member of the swim team and her children now are part of it. (Photo by Kathy Shwiff)
Parents of members of the West Milford Devil Rays swim team said they and township officials are trying to find a new facility for the team.
Parents of team members were informed by West Milford on March 13 that the team has been canceled.
It has been based at Bubbling Springs, which the township operates as a recreational swimming facility, for about 40 years.
At the Township Council meeting April 19, Mayor Michele Dale said she planned to meet with representatives of the team two days later.
She said she did not want to comment on the issue in public, but she did point out that swimming lessons would continue to be offered at Bubbling Springs.
And she said cancellation of the swim team was not just a matter of money.
A few parents of team members spoke about the importance of the team at the March 15 council meeting, and more appealed to council members to reverse the decision at the April 19 meeting.
Two young members of the team also expressed their disappointment.
The team has been part of some families’ lives for two generations, the speakers said. It has had from 50 to 70 members in recent years.
The team also has produced most of the lifeguards for Bubbling Springs, they said.
The speakers asked when the decision to cancel the team was made, pointing to estimates that the township solicited last fall to repair docks and other equipment at the lake.
They also noted that the township received estimates for boats, inflatables and a six-foot slide for the lake this spring.
