Despite pushback from community members, the University’s decision to end the lease of the Nassau Swim Club (NSC) on Tuesday will go forward as planned.
NSC is a private outdoor pool located in the woods between Princeton University and the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS). Located on University-owned land, the club has been renting since its establishment in 1970 and is open to all who pay membership dues.
In October, NSC received a letter from the University notifying them of termination of their lease. According to a retrospective by NSC, the reasons for the end of the lease included the NSC’s inability to make required payments on its debt obligation of at least $319,857 to PNC Bank and the University, to pay for next season’s operational costs, and to address future capital improvements to maintain the facilities.
Julie Hagan, a member for 15 years who was on the pool’s social committee, said she was aware of the financial struggles, but never thought the pool was in threat of closing.
“It feels hard to be heard, because they [the University] are so big,” she said in an interview with The Daily Princetonian, “We’ve written so many letters and it feels like it's gone quiet.”
Monica Skoge GS ’09 said in an interview with the ‘Prince’ that the NSC is “more than just a pool. It’s a whole community.”
Others in the community have echoed this connection — over one thousand people have signed a petition appealing the lease termination that will effectively shut down the pool, and dozens of “letters to the editor” have appeared in Town Topics.
The University has been leasing land to NSC for more than 50 years. However, for the past ten years, the pool has struggled to pay its taxes to the University due to difficulties maintaining membership numbers since the renovation of Community Park Pool in 2013.
The NSC Board appealed the termination of the lease in January, sending a letter to the University with plans for membership growth and fundraising, and a detailed budget for 2024.
Skoge became aware of NSC’s financial troubles in January at a strategizing meeting at the Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS). She said in an interview with the ‘Prince,’ “people were in disbelief” at the University’s abrupt decision. Following this meeting, the board then surveyed members for their willingness to volunteer and contribute financially, as well as their commitment to membership for the 2024 season.
The NSC Board appealed the termination of the lease in January, sending a letter to the University with plans for membership growth and fundraising, as well as a detailed budget for 2024. The University rejected this appeal on Feb. 12. The board then surveyed members for their willingness to volunteer and contribute financially, as well as their commitment to membership for the 2024 season. Skoge expressed that this rejection provided little explanation and “what was missing was any discussion.”
Skoge then met with Vice President for University Services Chad Klaus, who runs the University’s department of Business Services. The board developed an even more detailed business plan that addressed the initial reasons for termination, including paying off the loan with PNC and setting goals for the one with the University, raising more than $80,000 in pledges, and detailing the plan for future capital improvements. However, the original termination decision was reiterated at a second meeting in April between the NSC Board and Klaus.
In a statement to the ‘Prince,’ University Spokesperson Jennifer Morrill wrote that NSC was in debt to the University and had not “provided evidence that they have a financial plan to allow for continued operation and maintenance of the pool facility. [Klaus] met twice in recent weeks with members of the board.”
Skoge told the ‘Prince’ that she believed the club would be really great for graduate students, who live within walking distance at the college, reflecting on her time as a graduate and how much she would have appreciated a tool like NSC for community building. Skoge therefore had plans to begin recruitment efforts among graduate students. Graduate students receive reduced membership rates.
She echoed that all NSC board members thought the pool was “doing a service, and never thought the University would take this drastic turn.” The reflection by the NSC similarly expressed that “the Board did not realize urgent action was required, as they believed [the University] considered the debt to be less important than the value of NSC to the community.”
Hagan echoed this surprise and disappointment, saying “I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but why be so short-sighted?”
Skoge said that she discovered a really strong alumni community who look back at their time at NSC for building character. She emphasized the “free-range parenting” permitted by the club where kids can play and run around with minimal adult interference. Hagan emphasized NSC’s day long aquatics program for kids.
It was after attending the State of the University Address to students, where University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 mentioned mental health, that Skoge wrote to Eisgruber requesting a meeting to share her “vision for how Nassau Swim Club could be an important well-being resource for graduate students, in addition to it being an important asset to our community.” Skoge received a response to her letter the same day an address given by Eisgruber emphasized collaboration between the University and the town. She expressed feeling a disconnect between the University’s actions and Eisgruber’s statement to the Council.
Skoge expressed that there is a stigma of NSC being less accessible than other pools in the area, as the Community Park Pool is subsidized by the town of Princeton, and has lower rates.
However, Skoge expressed that NSC is also more open than other pools, because membership does not require residency in Princeton. She explained that the Community Park is getting overcrowded and the feel is very different.
Morrill wrote that “we acknowledge that the closure of NSC is a disappointment to many of the current and former club members.”
Skoge acknowledged that the University has been very clear about their intentions, but she is still fighting to keep the pool open because “it would be such a huge loss. It’s almost a moral thing now. Have to fight until the end because that's the right thing to do.”
Abby Leibowitz is a senior News writer for the ‘Prince.’
Please send corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
Editor's Note: This piece has been edited to clarify the timeline and nature of discussions between the NCS board and the University.
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