WILDWOOD CREST – The indoor Joseph Von Savage Memorial Pool reopened Wednesday, Dec. 27, after being closed since August for just under $1.5 million in renovations.
Wildwood Crest Mayor Don Cabrera told the Herald the 25-yard pool reopened to swimmers at 5 a.m. after the months-long work was completed, including installing a new roof and gables, new pool plastering, a new deck coating, new diving blocks and repairing filtration piping that was buried under the concrete.
“The pool has not had any major upgrades since it was built in the early ‘80s,” Cabrera told the Herald. “Public spaces and buildings need ongoing maintenance and upgrades to keep them in aesthetically pleasing and safe condition for the public to enjoy.”
While the pool was closed, public works, pool staff and vendors also installed new bathroom fixtures, repainted steel structural supports, cleaned deck drains, installed a new water fountain and hung new flags, the mayor added.
Cabrera said work at the pool is not finished, however, and there will still be lighting upgrades, equipment room upgrades, refurbished bathroom flooring, a new flat roof and new mechanicals, which are on back-order and should arrive in the new year.
The pool hosts the Wildwood Crest Dolphins swim team practices and other meets, including for Wildwood Catholic Academy and Lower Cape May Regional, the mayor said.
“The pool is used often by seniors in Wildwood Crest for rehabilitation and aqua fitness and also many children learning to swim. The pool hosts many local swimmers and triathletes year round,” Cabrera added.
Members in 2023 will receive a $50 credit and a rate freeze in 2024 to compensate for the four months the pool was closed for repairs, according to the mayor.
