Community Corner

South Windsor Residents Boil Over Use of Veterans Memorial Park Pool

Town Manager Matthew Galligan said that barring non-residents from the pool would result in substantial increase in fees.

The summer heat has brought a large number of people to Veterans Memorial Park Pool - the town’s public outdoor pool - much to the consternation of many South Windsor residents.

Indeed, in a short July 5 post on Patch, a user named Mark D. complained that the pool at VMP has been overrun by out-of-town-residents.

“Word has spread in [East Hartford], Hartford, Bloomfield, Manchester, and Vernon (just to name a few) that VMP is the nicest pool in the area and open to everyone at a reasonable price,” Mark D. wrote. “Each day [fewer South Windsor] residents spend a day of relaxation at our pool, and more and more other town residents claim our grassy hills, BBQ grills, picnic tables, and awesome pool. ...

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We want our park back!”

The post, which had been shared 122 times on Facebook as of Wednesday morning, sparked a groundswell of support both in the Patch comment section and on the South Windsor Patch Facebook page.

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“This is a great story and right on point,” Tanya Martins Sweeney wrote on Facebook. “With the amount of taxes we pay in South Windsor we should be able to have our families enjoy the pool without it being overcrowded.”

South Windsor residents offered suggestions ranging from raising the rates for out-of-town pool users to an outright ban on anyone who is not from South Windsor.

Eric Shary said that even if the pool was built with state or federal grants, out-of-towners should still be prevented from using the pool. He compared the situation with schools, noting that he can’t send his children to other school districts, even though they, too, receive federal and state grants.

“If people want what we have in [South Windsor], fine....Move here and pay taxes with us,” Shary said. “We all worked hard to live here, thats why we live here.”

Dianna Roy said that the pool has become overcrowded with out-of-town campers to the point where conditions are now unsafe because she can’t keep an eye on her kids.

Others simply had an issue with what they said were people avoiding paying entirely or partially for entry to the park by either jumping the fence or by claiming to be from town when they were from elsewhere.

Town Manager Matthew Galligan said that this is the first time he has heard of such complaints about the pool usage. Galligan said that, on a normal summer day, about 500 people use the pool. But, on hotter days, that number swells by over 200 percent to 1,500 to 1,600.

Still, it’s not something that has been on the town’s radar as an issue.

“We’ve always had the pool open to the public,” Galligan said. “I don’t know how people determine that there’s been an influx of outsiders.”

Assuming that there has been a larger crowd coming in from out of town, Galligan said that fees paid by non-residents subsidize the lower rate for South Windsor residents. Non-residents pay between 30 to 40 percent more to access the pool than residents, Galligan said.

For example, a pass for resident families costs $155, and $200 for non-resident families. Daily admission for one is $6 for residents and $9 for non-residents.

“That’s a substantial difference,” Galligan said.

Galligan said that if he were even able to bar people who were not South Windsor residents from using the pool, that would more than double the cost to use the pool.“For people who can’t afford day care, we provide a day camp so people can enjoy a staycation without costing them a fortune,” Galligan said.

Further, the pool is an attractive destination for residents who have out-of-town guests.

“It’s a gathering place for South Windsor residents and their friends,” Galligan said.


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