Middletown needs to follow Sea Bright’s example

Middletown’s Swim and Tennis Club continues to be an item of interest. It was a bad investment, it continues to be a bad investment, and there doesn’t seem to be much hope for the future.

The accumulated debt for the Middletown Swim and Tennis Club is $2.6 million. This probably necessitates the high membership fees.

There are many questions that are related to the operation of the Middletown Swim and Tennis Club. But the one question that appears to be uppermost in my mind is: How does the swim and tennis club finance its structural improvements?

Many people have observed the presence of trucks and employees from Middletown’s building and maintenance department. During the year, I have also observed the stockpiles of building materials. This causes one to wonder how the costs for this operation are accounted for. Who gets billed for this activity? Is it the building and maintenance department, swim club, or does it show up somewhere else?

The continual amount of money that is being spent on the swim and tennis club is another example for Middletown’s poor judgment when it comes to spending non-discretionary funds.

Middletown’s inefficiency or poor judgment should be related to Sea Bright’s good judgment or efficiency.

Sea Bright has proposed the construction of a new pool where the old Peninsula House was. The architect has stated construction costs would total $2,195,500. This would include two swimming pools with a deck around them and pilings supporting them. It would also include a 2,815-square-foot enclosed building with adequate parking.

The one-story main building would have lockers, bathrooms, showers, a snack bar, business office, mechanical rooms and the like, with a covered but open outdoor space for dining. It is amazing Sea Bright’s proposed investment in a new pool will be less than the debt Middletown has with its old pool.

Cynthia Dunn

Middletown