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Thanks to Mike Lazzara, and Chris Dunn, Rutherford's community pool reopened Tuesday with COVID-19 guidelines in place.
Lazzara, 29, and Dunn, 27, dreamed of starting their own aquatics program even as children. Their dream became a reality in February of 2019, when they developed the concept for the Rutherford Swim Association.
But it certainly wasn’t easy.
At the time, the pool had been severely underutilized due to neglect.
Lazzara and Dunn — who both swam on the Rutherford team in high school and helped carried it through its undefeated season in 2008 — jumped to action when they realized they had the potential to give the pool a fresh start.
“The great residents of Rutherford believed that the pool was an asset to the community and with a better plan would be utilized to its potential,” Lazzara told Daily Voice.
The pair decided to submit a request to the Rutherford Board of Education to officially launch the non-profit organization. It was approved in June 2019.
Now, Lazzara serves as the Chief Executive Officer and President, and Dunn is the Chief Financial Officer and Vice President.
They’ve also officially taken over the programmatic and operational management of the Rutherford Community Aquatic Center.
“This was always a dream of ours,” said Lazzara. “Chris and I were coaches at Wyckoff YMCA at the time, and we began to discuss the pool and what we would do differently to make it a success. After discussing this with several members of our community, we knew we were on the right track.”
In addition to launching a series of swimming programs, teams and clubs, Lazzara and Dunn have been hard at work renovating and modernizing the pool, beginning with the installation of new starting blocks.
In the midst of all the pair’s hard work in revitalizing the historic pool, Lazzara and Dunn show appreciation toward the essential workers they say helped keep them afloat.
“We would like to take a moment to thank all police officers, fire fighters, EMTs, medical staff and other essential workers who selflessly dedicated their lives to keeping our community safe during this trying time,” said Lazzara. “We would not be able to open without all your hard work."
Open swim is available seven days a week between 10 a.m. and 4:40 p.m.
Visit the Rutherford Swim Association’s website for more information.
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