Trenton's pools reopened Thursday despite a threat that they would remain closed
UPDATE: Pool vendor yanks contract with 'high risk' Trenton
TRENTON -- Trenton's public swimming pools opened Thursday morning as scheduled after the city paid its vendor $41,790 that was overdue.
USA Management, the Georgia-based vendor contracted to operate the four city pools, had said Wednesday night that the pools would remain closed until the city paid.
"There was an agreement that if we got the money, the pools would be reopened," company spokeswoman Elle Anderson said.
Wire transfer confirmations from the city show that $20,895 was sent to USA Management at 3:02 p.m. Wednesday and another $20,895 at 9:36 a.m. Thursday, meaning that the company could go ahead and process payroll and issue paychecks to its lifeguards on Monday.
The payment had been due July 8. The city was granted a week's extension as it transitioned into a new fiscal year, but multiple calls followed when the city had still failed to make a payment.
When the lifeguards were informed that their paychecks could be delayed, they walked off the job Wednesday afternoon to protest what they say is a continuing problem with the city.
Anderson did not rule out the possibility of future closures.
"We are contracted to operate the pool, not be financially responsible for the operations of the pools that lay within the city," she said. "If they do not make the payments agreed upon in their contract so that we can make the payroll payments, there's a possibility that there could be shutdowns.
"We're not going to have our staff work and not get paid," she continued. "That's not fair to them."
USA Management was awarded the $185,188 contract last month. In addition to lifeguards, the city requires that the vendor provides lawn maintenance and janitorial services, Anderson said, adding that two local businesses are used for that purpose.
The YMCA of Trenton, which operated the pools the previous two summers, was the only other bidder. Its bid cost was $256,487. They had calculated an extra hour per day than what the bid called for since they knew from experience that the first hour is spent cleaning up from people who broke in at night.
"When the pool closed, they would come in around midnight and party," CEO Sam Frisby said Thursday. "We would have to come in to repair the fences, clean up the condoms, beer bottles and other stuff and then get ready to open up the pool for camps at 10 a.m."
Unlike USA Management, which uses two local businesses to mow the lawn and clean the pool areas, the YMCA required its lifeguards do that work.
Frisby said the YMCA largely received its payments on time, but acknowledged that July is a difficult month for the city. Its fiscal year ends June 30 and checks are not cut for two weeks, he said.
"The problem with recreation is that they're just starting up summer programming when the city is shutting down," said Frisby, who previously served as the city's recreation director under former Mayor Douglas Palmer. "You can't ask for checks early. ... You're typically not going to get it until the end of July."
Frisby would not say whether or not he has been contacted by the city, but Anderson suggested that the YMCA may be in line to take over the contract.
"We did get a source that had communicated that (the city) had no intention of paying us and that we were considered their budget relief so they could let us go and pick up with the YMCA who they wanted to use in the first place, but could not afford," she said.
Anderson said that USA Management was scheduled to have a conference call with the city later this afternoon.
Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find NJ.com on Facebook.