At the crack of dawn every morning, former First Selectman Walter J. Gawrych wakes up and changes into his swim trunks. He heads down to the town pool, named in his honor, and can be found doing laps while most of the town is still sleeping.

"As long as I can keep getting up in the morning," said Gawrych, "I'll keep going."

Gawrych, who retired in 1989, has been swimming every day for the better part of 15 years, but he is not the only person who has become a fan of the water. A group of loyal supporters has made the pool a popular fixture ever since its inception. Last Thursday, the Department of Recreation and Community Services marked the pool's 20th anniversary with a reception thanking the townspeople for their patronage.

"There's a core of them," said John Bimonte, program coordinator at the Department of Recreation and Community Services. "It gets them going in the morning."

When the original idea for a town pool was proposed over two decades ago, the logistics of opening up the facility proved difficult. The first vote went to a referendum, and the pool was not approved. But after many negotiations and debates, the pool was finally approved, and it has been a success ever since.

"It took a lot of years of trying, and when it got here, it was kind of a big deal," said Andrew DelVecchio, assistant director of recreation and the pool.

During his time as first selectman, Gawrych tried to divide his efforts between securing commercial developments and beautifying the town. In addition to adding the pool, he also formed a recreational committee which helped build soccer fields across North Haven.

"It offers an opportunity for young children, for older people like myself, and for the high schoolers," said Garwrych.

Around 100 people showed up throughout the morning for the anniversary event. Some even brought photographs and clippings from the early days of the pool's history. Food and beverages were provided by Brock Enterprises and Aramark food services.

Eileen Pettit, the town's assistant director of recreation, thanked all the regulars who make swimming an important part of their day and help support the pool. She also singled out the work of Richard Gaudio, who works alone to maintain the pool and the rest of the recreation center.

"Nobody can believe it's 20 years old," said Pettit. "It looks brand new."

"I was so happy that it worked out the way we planned," said Gawrych. "Everything you see there is the dream that we had."