Pool Memberships Dip As Centennial Pool Debate Continues In Cranford

CRANFORD, NJ — Cranford’s public pools were again part of the conversation this week as township officials shared updated membership numbers and residents spoke about the future of Centennial Pool, which remains closed for the 2026 summer season.

With Orange Avenue Pool now serving as the township’s only operating outdoor facility, officials said this year’s membership totals are tracking below last year but remain steady compared to recent seasons.

Commissioner Terrence Curran said the township has sold 963 pool memberships so far this summer, with roughly two-thirds belonging to Cranford residents.

He said the numbers are similar to 2024 levels but lower than last year’s higher-than-usual totals.

“We’re seeing steady participation, and the numbers are in line with what we expected,” Curran said, adding that the township continues to monitor feedback and attendance as the season moves forward.

Earlier this spring, township officials approved about $875,000 in grant-funded upgrades at Orange Avenue Pool, covering improvements such as locker room updates, lighting, accessibility work, and other facility enhancements.

While officials reviewed operational updates, residents used the public comment portion of the meeting to again raise the question of what should happen with Centennial Pool in the long term.

Resident Will Thilly urged the township to keep the facility open.

“I want everyone to please reconsider and keep that Centennial pool open,” Thilly said. “Whether it costs a little or not, it’s worth it because so many people need it. Our children need a place to swim, and the Orange Avenue pool is just not convenient enough. It’s easier to go to Clark or some other town to swim.”

Resident Rita Lobruto also spoke in support of preserving the pool, saying it plays an important role in both recreation and township revenue.

“If you dig up Centennial Pool and you fill it in with dirt, you lose the ability to make revenue there because you’ve lost that facility,” Lobruto said. “You really need it to help pay for the indoor pool.”

She also warned against replacing the pool with a different type of recreational facility, referencing concerns about long-term financial performance.

“Money doesn’t grow on trees,” she said.

Township officials have previously said the financial challenges of maintaining multiple pool facilities have been discussed for years.

Mayor Kathleen Miller Prunty said at a prior meeting that the township has increasingly relied on grant funding to support improvements at Orange Avenue Pool, and that maintaining operations has become more difficult over time.

“It had been discussed for many years, as long as I’ve been on the township committee,” Miller Prunty said. “It just reached the point of being financially impossible.”

Commissioner Curran said the township will continue providing updated membership and revenue breakdowns as the season continues.

For now, Orange Avenue Pool remains the township’s only operating outdoor pool, while Centennial Pool stays closed and its future remains under continued discussion.