VILLAS — A renovation project will not be complete and Lower Township will not open its municipal pool for the 2026 season, and residents have just one question: Why?
“I know it’s an unpopular decision,” Township Manager Mike Laffey said during the Township Council meeting June 1. “I can see that with all the people here, I know a lot of people in this audience. But that’s where we are at this point.”
Laffey added that while many hands are involved in any given project, the buck stops at the manager’s office.
“You guys hired me to try and keep things on track, and I just wanted to let the public know that the mayor and council rely on me to do the day-to-day operations,” Laffey said. “Things don’t go the proper way and people blame the mayor and council. However, I think it’s important that they entrust us and department heads to come up with a plan for any given project.”
Councilman Joseph Wareham requested a detailed report outlining the project timeline, including any delays, unforeseen obstacles, change orders, contractor issues, permitting challenges or other factors that contributed to the failure to complete the renovation on schedule.
“The pool is an important asset that serves the entire community and the inability to open the pool this season is not acceptable,” Wareham said. “I see firsthand how hard our township staff and professionals work every day, and how hard they truly care about our township. However, I joined in our residents’ frustration of the public pool renovation project not being complete in time for the 2026 summer season.”
He said the taxpayers deserve transparency and accountability for the project.
He also asked if any alternative solutions were explored and determined to be feasible.
Laffey added that he will give Wareham a thorough timeline once he receives the evaluation from the township’s insurance provider.
“The taxpayers have invested in this facility, and they deserve a complete accounting of what occurred,” Wareham said. “What steps are being taken to ensure the project is completed as quickly and responsibly as possible and have the assurance this will not happen again.”
Laffey said the pool is near and dear to his heart, as his first job out of college was in the recreation department as an assistant superintendent.
“I get that people love that pool,” he said, adding that he worked hard in his early career to get the pool ready for the summer.
He noted that there were delays in the project, including the award to the contractor, the pre-construction meeting and disconnecting the electricity in a timely manner.
Construction of the municipal pool building opened to bidding Jan. 23. The township was awarded $400,000 for the project, which includes replacing the building.
During the May 18 meeting, engineer Andrew McTague told Council that a pre-construction meeting was held in March and the work would begin once all permits and applicable utility company disconnects were completed.
“In light of missing some of those deadlines in this process, we also decided to try and see if we can’t open the pool while [it’s] under construction,” Laffey said. “We met onsite after the fact with the contractor, our engineers, the department head, me and some other folks, and the ADA coordinator that handles the grant for this project.”
Laffey said the township’s insurance carrier examined the pool area and considered where accessible bathrooms could be placed.
“When we got to this situation, our insurance carriers also believe that it would not be a good idea to open the pool and have the construction happen at the same time,” he said. “For a lot of different reasons: liability, safety of the public, safety of the contractors, demolition.”
The decision not to open the pool was made in the last week of May, Laffey said, after a thorough discussion.
“A lot of people use that pool on a daily basis, but for the safety and welfare of the visitors, as well as anyone working on that project, I talked to the township forefathers here to close the pool for the summer season to get that pool house completed in a safe fashion,” Laffey said.
Jim Ridgway, representing the township’s risk management consultant and insurance agency, J. Byrne Insurance, said Laffey was referencing a report from the township’s safety coordinator.
The report included a professional recommendation to close the facility in the interest of public and employee safety, operational integrity and regulatory compliance.
The primary concerns identified included:
— The risk of flying and falling construction debris
— Exposure to airborne dust, construction particles, fumes and other unknown environmental contaminants
— Continuous construction-related vibrations
— Noise
— Heavy equipment activity
— Contractor movement occurring immediately adjacent to the areas traditionally occupied by children, families and patrons
— Inability to adequately secure and isolate the construction zone from public recreational areas
— Potential obstruction or compromise of required emergency access routes
— Egress pathways
— ADA accessible routes necessary for public assembly and aquatic facilities
— Concerns regarding maintaining proper water chemistry, filtration integrity and water testing consistency
— Increased slip and fall hazards associated with mud debris, temporary fencing and utility work
— The likelihood of rapidly evolving and unpredictable hazards commonly associated with construction sites
— Difficulty ensuring safety provisions
— Limited parking
— Need for compliant bathroom relief facilities and daily inspection
— Increased control by local police to ensure no trespassing
Solicitor Robert Belasco said there was a discussion about whether the township had the ability to suspend this project. He said there was a discussion with the contractor, but the contractor made overtures in opposition.
“It would exceed 60 days, which is specifically set forth in local public contract law as the timeframe in which an individual with the township has the ability to cancel the contract,” Belasco said. “The problem is, in a cancellation due to suspension, which is no fault of the contractor, there are damages that could be proceeded against the township.”
Mayor Frank Sippel said Laffey has an extremely difficult job and is very busy, managing dozens of projects every year.
“The manager and solicitor worked on this for hours and we had no options,” Sippel said. “The construction had to start on time.”
By RACHEL SHUBIN/Special to the Star and Wave
