The Tenafly borough recently made a splash when it took control of the Tenakill swimming facilities, located at 165 Grove Street, and converted it into a municipal pool for the public, set to open on May 24. The municipal pool will also include a playground, basketball court, and a tether ball pit. Food can be purchased from the snack shack.
The main pool will be divided into two sections, with one part of the pool being the deep end and the other part being the shallow end. The deep end will have two diving boards for swimmers to use. In addition to the main pool, there will also be a kiddie pool on a separate section of the area for the younger kids to enjoy.
Tenafly Mayor Mark Zinna believes this transformation was a necessary and beneficial decision for Tenafly residents.
“The Tenakill Pool, which had operated successfully since the 1960s as a private pool club, came up against numerous head-winds, including COVID, changing expectations, installation of private pools, and costs,” he said.
Also, according to Zinna, in the past, demands for pool memberships were once so high that two private pools operated on Grove Street, both maintaining waitlists.
“Times have evolved, and when the Tenakill pool went out of business in 2024, the borough made the decision to reimagine the pool as a municipal pool with a paid membership, just like … any other municipal service,” the mayor said.
The pool will be open seven days a week, and daily pool hours will be posted as the season nears. Registration is currently open and membership rates have been posted on the borough’s website. A great perk for residents, the municipal pool is also offering early registration discounts and a promotional bundle, which will help members save money.
Tenafly High School students are also excited for this change.
“I was very happy to learn that the municipal pool will open this summer,” Tyler Boston (’27) said. “The environment and facilities seem nice and I definitely recommend others to check it out.”
For the youth, the municipal pool will offer free swim lessons for members. It will also have swim teams for kids aged five to seventeen years old, featuring practices and league and county meets for qualifying swimmers. The schedules and registration for the swim lessons and swim team will be posted in the near future.
With summer coming in a few months, the municipal pool promises to be a refreshing addition to the community, offering residents of all ages a place to swim, play, and connect.
