Overview

We are a private, family-oriented swimming club, organized to provide friendly relief from the summer heat for our member families and their guests. The Club's facilities are open for swimming from early morning to late evening daily, Memorial Day through Labor Day, with lifeguard supervision available daily. A picnic area adjacent to the pool enclosure is open to members and their guests. Youngsters can learn to swim, at no additional cost, through our swim Instruction program, staffed by Red Cross certified Lifeguards. The membership may also run special events during the year: such as an opening day picnic, a children's party, or impromptu pot luck suppers and lunches when the mood strikes us!

History of the Province Line Swim Club

In the early 1960's, three local residents - Bill Terhune, Ken Dorey and Bob Karch - had an idea: why not get a group of people together and build a swimming pool and recreation area where we can all go and relax, have fun and beat the heat? Over afternoon backyard barbecues and during summer evenings on their porches, they discussed the idea. This small nucleus grew to a group of 25 families, each initially investing $400, and the group set about establishing the Club and facilities now known as the Province Line Swim Club.

As it turned out, getting started was not easy. It was a shock to discover that Montgomery Township required them to own at least five acres for the pool! The original group did a lot of looking for a suitable location, until finally Johnson Moore sold them 5 acres from his farm for $2,000. Interestingly, the land in use today once had a railroad going through it, not just beside it: the rail bed from the old Hopewell line, which ended during the Frog Wars, runs through the property and can still be seen.

The fledgling club got a lot of free help. Dix Skillman chartered the Club at no cost. Gene Piller surveyed the land. Ray Hunt did the construction. The Van Fleets did the electrical work, and Ed Weingart, the plumbing. Bob Saums donated tile. John VanZant located a sod cutting machine and in one weekend the Club had grass. The Province Line Swim Club started out as, and still is today, a truly cooperative effort.

It wasn't all smooth sailing, even with the donated help: the Club still had to take out a mortgage. To help raise additional money, the Club held fundraisers, including dances and swim parties. Over time, the loan was paid-off, the mortgage burned, and the Club had its first birthday party in 1964.

The Club has traditionally had potluck suppers, free lessons, and low guest fees. Thanks to the ideas, foresight, and efforts of a few families over forty years ago, the Province Line Swim Club exists today as a place to relax, exercise, make friends, and to entertain and nurture children.

THE PROVINCE LINE SWIM CLUB IS:

• Located on five acres of land on Province Line Road in Montgomery Township, New Jersey, at the foot of the Sourland mountains. The facilities include the swimming pool with diving board, a wading pool for infants, a bathhouse containing restrooms and changing areas for men and women, and a picnic area with tables and barbecue grills.

• A private swim club offering a welcome retreat from the heat for families and their guests, a picnic area for summertime entertaining, and the fellowship of a small and committed membership. Membership is limited to 40 families, to minimize crowding and maximize the enjoyment of the pool and the grounds for all.

• A family-oriented facility, through which we offer free swimming lessons for our children, lifeguard-supervised swimming during posted hours, several special social events for children as well as adults scheduled during the season, and extensive guest privileges at economical rates. The Club is a good place for birthday parties for children, special barbecues for families and guests, or just plain enjoying the summer days and evenings.

• A cooperative in its ownership, operation, management, and maintenance. Incorporated as a non-profit club in the State of New Jersey, the facilities are owned, operated, and maintained exclusively by the members of the Club. Membership in the Club confers the benefits of use of the pool and grounds, organized activities, wide-ranging guest privileges, and the ability to share the experiences with up to 40 like-minded families. It also confers the responsibility, and fun, of pitching in to keep our oasis in tip-top shape through participation in the efforts of one or more of the Club's committees.

Operation

We are chartered as a non-profit cooperative, wholly owned by up to forty families which comprise our membership. We depend on the dues and the efforts of each other to maintain the Club's facilities and operations, from painting the pool house, to repairing the fence, to hiring and supervising the lifeguards, to planning and carrying out the Club's special events. Families accepted for membership will participate in the Pool & Facilities Committee.

Meetings

The Club holds two annual meetings each year. During the fall meeting, officers are elected for the coming year, the year's operations are reviewed, suggestions for improvements considered, winterizing tasks are finalized, and initial planning for the coming year is initiated. At the spring meeting, the pool startup is planned, dues are set, committee members are assigned and chair-persons named, and other suggestions and ideas for the operation of the Club are discussed.

Membership

Membership is limited to 40 families to avoid crowding and maximize the opportunities for enjoyment of the pool and grounds by all. Members buy a $650 bond, which is fully refundable when membership terminates. The bond is paid in two installments during each of the first two years of membership. The money from the bond provides a cushion of capitalization for the Club, temporarily protecting the membership in the event of unforeseen major expenditures, and enabling the Club to repurchase the bonds of departing members.