Free Admission This Saturday for Grand Opening of Community Park Pool Complex

The slide at the new Community Park Pool Complex.

Admission to the new Community Park Pool Complex will be free from noon to 3 p.m. on opening day this Saturday, Princeton Recreation Department Executive Director Ben Stentz announced this morning.

“The pool is the ultimate community summer gathering place where everyone is equal,” Stentz said. “We want everyone to come down, enjoy the experience and celebrate the grand opening with us. Of course we also hope once people experience the new pool, they will want to come back.”

Staff members in the recreation department are busy putting the finishing touches on the complex, like setting up picnic tables and equipment.

“We’re all very excited to be at this point, ” Stentz said. “I’m proud of our amazing staff, our contractor, and our engineering staff. The final product is the result of some amazing work by a lot of people in a short time window.”

The forecast for Saturday is 85 degrees and sunny.

“Perfect,” Stentz said.

Deanna Stockton from the Princeton Township Engineering Department had the honor of being the first person down the new slide to test it out for everyone several times. Residents can enter a raffle Saturday to win chances to be the first slide, diving board, and pool users at the grand opening splash.

The grand opening ceremony will begin at about 11:45 a.m., immediately after the Princeton Memorial Day ceremonies are complete. Stentz and other local officials will make speeches, followed by a ribbon cutting at the pool entrance.  A second ceremony will follow at the Alice and Bernie Gerb Family Bay Pool.

Light refreshments will be served following the ceremony, and Community Park Pool t-shirts will be given away while supplies last. A free juggling seminar will also be offered by Lou DeLauro of Juggling Life.

Pool memberships can be purchased at the Princeton Recreation Department office weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. The Recreation Department office will also be open May 26-28, June 2-3, and June 9 from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. to accept new pool member applications. You can also register for a pool membership online.

Daily admission for the pool is $10 for adults and $5 for children. The fee for non-residents is $13 for adults and $11 for children. Season passes are $295 for a resident family, $180 for a resident adult, $93 for a resident child and $88 for a resident senior. Non-resident memberships are $547 for a family, $283 for adults, $170 for children and $160 for seniors.

The Princeton Parks and Recreation Foundation is also raising funds to cover some of the pool costs by selling commemorative bricks. Forms will be available on opening day. About 100 bricks are already installed by the entrance of the pool complex.You can sign up for a brick at the ceremony and choose and inscription. A standard brick costs $300 and a double-sized brick costs $1,000.