Town Crier Articles

As we enter the summer season, it is a good time to introduce you to the members of the newly reconstituted New Town Pool Committee and bring you up to date on pool status.  As we write this, the water has been replaced in the pool, but we do not know when, how, or if the facility will open, as the Commonwealth crafts a response to address COVID-19 and a phased reopening.  According to Committee Chair Bob Byrne, another complication concerns the lifeguards, most of whom come from overseas. The US Department of State has not authorized the entry of these workers into the country.  If they do arrive, there is a two-week quarantine and mandatory lifeguard training.  We have been told that none of the pools in other locations that are managed by our pool management company are open at this time.  The Pool Committee will update the community as necessary preparations progress. In the meantime, the Committee has begun to meet and is hard at work addressing concerns, including the issue of improving the landscaping around the pool facility.  

 

Bob and his wife, Susan, built the very first house in Charlotte Park.  Before they moved in, the home was used as a model for subsequent buyers.  They rented the house initially and were planning to move in after they retired, but they liked being here so much that they accelerated their timeframe to move in five years ago and split their time now between Virginia and California. 

 

Bob loves attending William & Mary basketball and football games with the New Town crowd, playing the guitar and golfing.  He is a big fan and patron of the pool and says he is happy to have been asked to serve on the Committee.

 

Kathy and her husband, Phil, moved to Charlotte Park as soon as they could—December 26, 2014.  Kathy says they would have moved in when their home was ready on Christmas Day, if that had been possible.  Longtime residents of Hampton Roads, first with their family in Hampton, then in Newport News, they always loved visiting Williamsburg, where Kathy did her last six years teaching in the WJCC School District.  As soon as the New Town pool was in, they were hooked. When it is open, you can find Kathy at the pool daily, reading and taking a dip.  Phil swims laps.  Kathy would like to see the pool open seven days a week, with more activities to bring neighbors together.

 

The couple relocated to New Town four years ago to a townhome near Roper Park, after retiring from careers in Maryland.  Dave served on the Activities Committee when they moved in, before he and Lynn volunteered to help with the pool.  They are happy to have something to do together that involves meeting and getting to know their neighbors.  Spare time interests include traveling, visiting historic sites and riding around Williamsburg on their motorcycle.

 

The pool is Lyndi’s favorite part of New Town, which is why she is eager to serve on the Pool Committee. She especially loves to walk from her home in Foundation Square to the pool to enjoy what she describes as peace and quiet in a beautiful space. A Williamsburg resident for 25 years and a New Town resident for five, she grew up in and graduated from high school here.  Lyndi’s other interests include reading, jogging through New Town and enjoying time with friends in the outdoors.

 

Barbara and her husband, Brick, moved to New Town almost three years ago into a condo in The Bennington.  They are a family of four generations in NT, having moved from Colorado to be closer to the younger Strattons who live in Charlotte Park.  They brought with them Brick’s 92 year old mother, now in the great care of Edgeworth Assisted Living, according to Barbara.

 

Barbara considers the pool one of the best features of New Town living where she can meet with family, play with grandkids, hang out with her husband, or just enjoy a lazy afternoon by herself or chatting with a friend.  She hopes her service on the Pool Committee will help make the pool even better.

 

When not at the pool, Barbara favorite exercise is walking, and she and Brick play golf at WNGC.  She has also worked out at Ironbound Gym and has tried her hand at kayaking at Waller Mill.

 

Alex and his partner, Aneta Leska, have owned property in New Town since 2015, when they bought a lot near Roper Park and built their townhome.  Alex had been in Williamsburg a few years previous.  He works in international development/foreign aid research at William & Mary, so he enjoys travel to off-the-beaten path locales.  He also does some journalism, writing for the NY Times, NPR and The Atlantic, among others. When the pool is open, Alex uses it almost daily.  He feels strongly that the pool season should be extended, perhaps from May 1st through September.

 

We look forward to hearing updates from the Pool Committee in the coming weeks.