Cool Off at Lower’s Community Pool

NORTH CAPE MAY – When temperatures recently topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit, many dreamed of an oasis where they could relax and swim in a pool of crystal-clear water. Others headed to the Lower Township Community Pool and did just that.
Open seven days a week, the pool offers the public a safe, clean place to swim, cool off and have fun.
Linsie Heitzmann, of Dennis Township, heard about the pool from a friend and brought her children, Bryce and Joey, for a swim.
“It’s a great pool and reasonably priced,” Heitzmann said. “It’s really nice,” Joey chimed in.
John Simaitis mans the front desk at the pool, collecting money and pointing out the amenities to guests, including the bathrooms, outside showers, snack bar, and picnic area.
The concession stand offers everything from hot dogs, corn dogs, French fries and ice cream to the crème de la crème, french fried Oreos.
“The cook is especially proud of those Oreos,” Simaitis said.
Bathers should bring chairs, umbrellas and pool noodles, but large inflatables are not allowed.
“We had a guest bring a large raft once, but large items like that aren’t safe so we keep it to the pool noodles unless a small child has one of those inflatables that go around the waist,” Simaitis explained.
The pool is operated by the Lower Township Recreation Department and is Americans with Disabilities Act accessible with a chairlift for entering the water. The main pool has graduated depths of three, four and five feet. A separate baby pool is one-foot deep.
Located at Winslow Avenue and Rosehill Parkway in North Cape May, the 1950s-era pool was recently updated, sandblasted, painted and fitted with a filtration system.
According to Department of Parks and Recreation Superintendent Mitchell Plenn, the pool opens around the third week of June (when the school year ends) and finishes up Labor Day.
There are no swim lessons or lap swimming offered, but there is an adult aquatic fitness class two days each week, after facility hours.
Certified Pool Operators Rocco Sansone and Mark Dougherty oversee the day-to-day operations of the pool, including cleaning the facility and balancing of the pool water seven days a week.
The pool is guarded by at least two lifeguards certified through the American Red Cross program. When attendance calls for it, three or four guards are on duty.
According to Plenn, a seasonal pool pass is available to Lower Township residents with 452 sold to date. Child daily pool passes sold (not including seasonal) is at 2,361 and adult daily passes stand at 2,354, as of July 22.
Adults pay $5 for the day; children under 16 pay $3. Pool hours are 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily. Parking is free.
To contact Carl Price, email cprice@cmcherald.com.