By Kendra Bobowick

Gravel pinged beneath cars pulling into the small lot near the town's boat launch and marina on the outskirts of Lake Zoar Monday afternoon. Below a lawn and picnic area at the end of Old Bridge Road was a cluster of boats teetering in a passing wake. Beyond a few tables set on an overlook guarded by oaks were tire-worn lanes leading to a strip of beach — grooming marks hardly disturbed by footprints. Two lifeguard chairs were perched midway to the shore.

Chris Parker leaned his arms across his knees and glanced down from the white wooden chair at Tricia Gogliettino and her 5-year-old twins Bridget and Joanie, and their younger brother Bennett, 2. Aside from one boater driving a trailer to the water's edge in the distance or another man striding toward Lake Zoar in his bright red wet suit, the only other person near the recently renovated Eichler's Cove Beach was lifeguard Christian Steimle. Pointing out beyond the roped-in swimming area, he noted that the depth outside the buoys was as deep as 28 feet.

The cove — once a privately owned marina recently purchased by the town — is an alternative swimming area since Dickinson pool was closed and filled with soil in the spring of 2005. While Treadwell pool became the only swimming spot the town had to offer until this summer, Eichler's Cove still remains a secret that the few regulars hope to keep.

Preferring the solitude this year's season offered, resident Laura Sock said, "We had the place to ourselves." She and a friend and children visited the cove this summer. "We were the only ones there. It was really, really nice." Although lifeguards have had several families at the beach at once, the town's newest beach is still unfamiliar to most residents. When asked, most reply "What new swimming area?" or "You mean that new place?" Despite the curiosity or sparse knowledge about Eichler's, residents generally liked having the option to take their children to a beach or pool.

Of the few parents who have gone to the beach, resident Maggie Conway prefers the Treadwell pool. If she had younger children she would worry about boat fuel and exhaust, she said. Both women stressed it would be much nicer with sand, shade, and, if possible, a diving board for the children.

Assistant Director of Recreation RoseAnn Reggiano speculated, "I really do think it's a matter of knowing about it." Did residents purchase Treadwell pool passes before they realized Eichler's Cove was an option? Did Eichler's Cove go unnoticed?

Possibly the additional cost of buying a pass to both Eichler's and Treadwell was a deterrent. Maybe the drive is too far. Eichler's Cove is located at the bottom of Route 34 just before the junction of Route 111 in the Stevenson section of Monroe. With a quick left turn onto Great Quarter Road, drivers need to immediately turn right onto Old Bridge Road paralleling Route 34, then dropping downhill toward the marina where the Halfway River spills into the lake.

"Hopefully for next year we can get the crowds out," said Ms Reggiano. Despite work to reconfigure parking, a picnic area, and the size of the beach along an inlet where new sea walls reshape the shoreline, the cove has not seen as many beachgoers as expected.

Eying the guard's chair and stepping over to take a seat as one of the Gogliettino twins splashes into the water, Chris Parker noted, "Maybe it will be busier next year." Shrugging as he considered why people may not be visiting the cove, Christian Steimle wondered, "It depends on what you like to swim in." Some people enjoy a crystal clear pool where they can swim laps, and others like the natural lake water with a view of the opposite shore. A break in the trees where a protruding bolder dips into the surface anchors the uninterrupted tree line of neighboring Oxford across the lake.

At Treadwell, guard Jeff Bonaccorso sees a lot of "recognizable faces" of the families that frequent the town's in-ground pool. From his perspective, he prefers to work at the busier facility. "I like it here, I like to be on my toes," he said. He has trained and worked at the pool for several years. Despite the usual crowd covering the concrete with blankets and lawn chairs around the bright blue water, he noted that as summer vacation ends and school is about to open, days at Treadwell are not as busy.

Costs could have been another concern. Unlike the general pass offered in the past for access to both Treadwell and Dickinson pools, passes for Treadwell and Eichler's Cove are separate. A family pass to Treadwell or to Eichler's is $140 individually. A combined pass is $230.

As a new season and new director greet the swimming holes next year, Ms Reggiano hopes that the prices for pool passes will be combined. But until the word gets out about Eichler's Cove and more residents chose to visit, the recreation staff looks toward next year. The lack of crowds appeals to some residents and caught the notice of others who had visited the cove for a brief time this year when Treadwell went through repairs.

"We sent people to Eichler's and they loved it," Ms Reggiano said. Other residents preferred the shore, passing boats, and solitude to Treadwell's chlorine and crowds. "We like the natural water," said Ms Gogliettino. She also finds it easier to keep an eye on her children who would have been split between the kiddy pool and the shallow end of the larger pool at Treadwell, which "didn't work" for her.

Unfortunately, she and the few other regulars may not be able to keep this secret to themselves as next season approaches.