Like many dense urban communities short on resources but long on needs for amenities, the City of Trenton was faced with a tough decision to repair or close an old and leaking City pool at Hetzel Park. The park remained closed for five years, becoming a dumping ground, further blighting its East Trenton neighborhood.
The City worked diligently to cobble together and coordinate a variety of resources from multiple State agencies. The transformation was worth the wait. The Hetzel pool improvements include: restoration of the historic pool house, a new plumbing and sanitary system, a new pool, spray ground structures for toddlers and for older children, an open air pavilion, and picnic tables. The parking lot is also getting a facelift. At its completion the parking area will include a new entrance with decorative fencing, enhanced pool house lighting, a rain garden in the center of the parking lot and new shade trees to replace the existing invasive vegetation on both sides of the lot.
What was once a dumping ground now hosts almost 300 residents a day, providing a much needed oasis from the summer temperatures, swimming lessons, fitness opportunities, and increases community bonds.
Former industrial cities, such as Trenton, have seen decades of disinvestment, and far too often recreation sites are among the first public resources to fall into disrepair. In her book, The Sum of Us, Heather McGhee outlines the costs that all communities bear for failing to fund and support services. Where disinvestment and policy was largely driven by racism and impacted more than the Black communities but entire regions. The pool at Hetzel Park, however, is an example of how once abandoned facilities can come back from neglect and be restored into incredible recreation assets for the community.
