Historic McCarren Park Pool Reopens After 28 Years Of Neglect and Wait

Bliss. Friends Ayana, 12, Maya, 10, Chelsea, 10, and Nola, 10, jump into the newly renovated pool yesterday afternoon. Like all other outdoor Parks Department pools admission is free. (Photos: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates.) Click on image to enlarge.

Brooklyn

On a picture perfect day the mighty McCarren Pool in Green Point Brooklyn roared back into the hearts and minds of Brooklynites yesterday. After nearly three decades of being abandoned the long anticipated reopening arrived and thousands poured into the newly renovated facility on a 90 degree.

For nearly thirty years the the decrepit McCarren Pool stood as a glaring example of municipal neglect after closing in 1983. The facility has been lovingly restored and includes many new features.

$50 million dollars was spent renovating the pool and year-round recreation center. The new facility boasts a 379,500-square-foot pool and accommodates 1500 swimmers, a decrease of 700. It has eight 25-meter lap lanes; spray showers. The pool has been reduced significantly from four Olympic-sized swimming pools to two. The original pool was 54440 square feet and accommodated 2200 swimmers.

The once-glorious diving pool has been replaced by a beach volleyball court.

The project also restored the year-round recreation center. The facility includes, a gymnasium, basketball court, a cardio and strength training fitness center with treadmills, stationary bikes, upper body cardio equipment, weight room, dance studio cardio room and multipurpose community meeting space, computer resource center and game room with board games, ping pong.

The historic bathhouse building and entry arch was preserved and restored. Wood panels recycled from the Coney Island boardwalk are among the decorative features used by the architects.

With McCarren’s re-opening, all 11 pools built by Robert Moses are now back in service.

For most of the glorious day the line snaked down Lorimer Street and around to Bayard Street. The line was filled with people who were excited to experience what the fuss was all about. Many were not even born the last time it was used as a public pool, while for others it was a trip down memory lane.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg presided over the pool and Play Center ribbon cutting ceremony renovation dedication.

"Today is all about the water," Bloomberg said, repeatedly mispronouncing "McClarren" until the crowd corrected him numerous times and an aid whispered into his ear. He readjusted his pronunciation to "McCarren." It seems the Massachusetts native wasn't all familiar with the neighborhood either as he referred to it as Williamsburg.

"McCarren Park Pool has an illustrious past and a bright future. The major investment we’ve made in this renovation will help return the pool and the park to their place at the center of community life for residents of Williamsburg and Greenpoint."

Mayor Bloomberg was joined at podium by Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, Borough President Marty Markowitz, the Community Board 1 District Manager and the Open Space Alliance chair. (The previous night the Alliance held its annual gala poolside event.)

“Our outdoor pools are officially open for the summer and we are especially proud of our latest addition, the McCarren Pool and Play Center, ” said Benepe.

After the speeches and a countdown, kids jumped into the crystal clear waters and swam to the other side, kicking off the pool's opening as well as officially starting the City's outdoor pool season.

The pool opened to the general public at 12:30pm after the VIP opening ceremony, and it did not disappoint.

When it was time for the pool to open to the general public, Parks Department staff went through the long line to see if people had special needs. An appreciative Martha Fernandez and her family were plucked from the back of the line on Bayard Street around the corner from the entrance and escorted inside.

For the 36-year-old Mrs. Fernandez and her family it was a very special day. She recently had heart bypass surgery and now relies on a wheelchair to get around. Her mother Loardes Rosa pushed her down a gentle slope leading to the pool entrance and delivered her into the refreshing bright blue water. Martha transferred to the grab bars and held on, and took it all in with a big smile.

"It feels great, It's warm," Martha Fernandez exclaimed while trying coax her 5-year-old son Ethan into the pool. She explained it was very hard getting around in the wheelchair on a daily basis and pointed out that so many things are not accessible. She hopes to one day not to need to rely on the chair.

She was brimming with joy with the new facility.

"This is going to be my new spot."

Her mother said she's been preaching for the pool to open for a long time.

"I love it, it's great," she said playing with numerous grandchildren.

ADA

An expansive sloped "zero entry" access area, a ramp with grab bars, and two accessibility compliant chair lifts are just a few of the many new ADA compliant features incorporated into the new pool, and adjacent play center facility. Inside the recreation center, bathrooms and community resources rooms are accessible, fitness equipment that allows people who use assistive mobility devices to use it has been installed, as well as to use the upper body cardio equipment according to the Parks Department.

The pool's zero entry is a popular feature.

The promised roof-top cafe has been delayed because funds for an elevator needed to comply with ADA have not been secured. An issue that Parks is pursuing.

Perhaps the most significant and noticeable change is the large ramp built to the left of the building's entrance which now allows people of all abilities to access to the facility for the first time since it the pool and recreational center was first built.

"Public pools are great," said NYC school teacher Melicca McCormick from Bedford-Stuyvesant who came with a fellow teacher and her child.

"They bring together people from all different classes and races. Parks are how we are able to survive in the city. If we didn't have them I don't know what we'd do. I'm so glad my friend dragged me along. We are going to be here all Summer. We don't have air-conditioning. "

The lack of maintenance, proper security, and lack of political will turned the re-opening pool into a battleground that mirrored the city's racial divide. For years activists worked tirelessly to reopen the pool, while some residents worked against them, saying they didn't want "outsiders" (i.e., people of color) flooding the neighborhood and feared the city would not run be able to run the facility adequately.

City Council member Stephen Levin said he wasn't concerned about the racial problems, the lack of maintenance or the security issues that plagued the pool in the past from returning.

"That was before my time. We've come a long away since then. I'm very confident that is will be maintained for generations to come and will be safe for people who use it. As long as I'm in office I will make sure," he added.

He thanked the Bloomberg administration for allocating the funds to restore the facility and added his office had allocated some money as well.

"It seemed impossible when they first started talking about this, but the administration made it a priority, " he said after taking an inaugural dip.

"It's going to become a great destination pool."

Pool Hours

The pool will be open from 11 a.m. — 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. — 7 p.m. daily.

Starting July 5th, parents get a break when the adult lap swim program begins. “Early Bird” lap swim hours from 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and “Night Owl” lap-swim hours from 7:00 p.m. to dusk . It's one of the City's best kept Summer secrets.

Swimming is free. Annual fees for the Recreation Center are as follows: Adult Membership (Ages 18-61) is $150 per year (it includes access to all 33 recreation centers including all 12 indoor pools, or $100 per year for access to the 21 recreation centers without indoor pools., Senior Membership (Ages 62 and Over), $25 per year for access to all 33 recreation centers including all 12 indoor pools., Youth Membership (17 and Under), Free access to all 33 recreation centers including all 12 indoor pools.

Read/View More

Celebrate the reopening of Brooklyn’s McCarren Park Pool

Moses-era Williamsburg/Greenpoint landmark reborn after being dry for 28 years

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS June 28, 2012

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/celebrate-reopening-brooklyn-mccarren-park-pool-article-1.1103560?localLinksEnabled=false

Empty About 3 Decades, Pool From the Depression Era Reopens to Cool Off Brooklyn

By LISA W. FODERARO, Published: June 28, 2012

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/29/nyregion/mccarren-pool-in-brooklyn-reopens-after-28-years.html

McCarren Pool Opens to Swimmers June 28, 2012 By Meredith Hoffman

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20120628/williamsburg/mccarren-pool-opens-swimmers

The Wall Street Journal - June 28, 2012 - By Jessica Firger

A Swim in Time: Remembering NYC’s First Public Pools

http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2012/06/28/a-swim-in-time-remembering-nycs-first-public-pools/

New York City’s 55 Outdoor Pools Officially Open For Summer Season

Newly Renovated McCarren Pool & Play Center Now Open June 28, 2012

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/06/28/new-york-citys-55-public-pools-officially-open-for-summer-season/

McCarren Park Pool Now Open!

http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2012/06/mccarren-park-pool-opens-today/#mccarren-pool-062812-01-1

Photos: McCarren Park Pool Opens With Tears Of A Thousand Hipsters

http://gothamist.com/2012/06/28/photos_mccarren_park_pool_opens_wit.php

NYC Parks makes a splash with new McCarren Park pool

NY Daily News - Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVGSv4yLJAw

via Curbed:

http://anntortorelli.viewbook.com/permalink/435791/9efffe9c4cd3e8#1

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2012/06/27/see_mccarren_park_pool_rebuilt_in_one_minute.php

Before and After at McCarren Park Pool

Brownstoner-

http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2012/06/going-back-in-time-at-the-mccarren-park-pool/

http://www.nycgovparks.org/park-features/mccarren-park/mccarren-recreation-center

Seeking to Recapture the Glory of the Past. Or Maybe Not.

By TIM STELLOH April 9, 2006

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/09/nyregion/thecity/09mcca.html/partner/rssnyt?_r=1

Service Cuts While Recreation Fees/Permits Soar Under Bloomberg Plan

The Mayor's proposed $65.6 billion budget for the next fiscal year anticipates Parks Department spending dropping by $52 million, or 15 percent, to $290 million, resulting in massive service cuts and thousands of jobs being lost or reduced to seasonal only. The Bloomberg administration is also quietly pushing through massive recreation fee increases for Parks Department facilities.

Seniors would see their recreation center membership fees increased by 150% - from $10 to $25. Adults have seen their fees increased by 100%, from $50 to $100 for centers without an indoor pool, and from $75 to $150 for centers having an indoor pool. The City is claiming the recreational fee increases are designed "to help defray the costs for the Department to maintain fields, courts and recreation centers" even though the money goes to the city's general fund. The city estimates it will take in $142.9 from Parks revenue this year but the Mayor's proposed expense budget allocates just $ 222 million in city funds for the embattled agency.

The Bloomberg administration has also quietly pushed through large recreation fee increases for tennis and ballfield permits for park facilities that just went into effect for this season.

City -Wide

The charge for tennis players using Big Apple parks would double under Mayor Bloomberg's new spending plan -- and the city would also be serving up fewer workers to maintain the courts, according to the New York Post.

In an attempt to raise $3.7 million in new revenue, Bloomberg has proposed doubling the price of tennis permits and admission to the city's 35 recreation centers -- as well as jacking up fees to play on city ball fields.

Hizzoner's proposed $65.6 billion budget for the next fiscal year anticipates Parks Department spending dropping by $52 million, or 15 percent, to $290 million, resulting in massive service cuts and thousands of jobs being lost or reduced to seasonal only. It's part of across-the-board cuts all departments face as the mayor tries to close a $4.6 billion budget gap.

Yearly tennis permits for adults would jump from $100 to $200, and single permits would go from $7 to $15.

Recreation centers would lose 15 percent of their funding -- but their admission fees would rise from $75 to $150 annually for centers with pools and from $50 to $100 for the rest.

Critics say the fee increases go against health-happy Hizzoner’s own agenda of promoting regular exercise and good eating habits.

"This is a real hit to trying to deal with obesity and getting people active — and it’s especially devastating on our most vulnerable communities," said Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito (D-East Harlem), who chairs the council’s parks committee.

Geoffrey Croft of nonprofit New York City Park Advocates said the fee hikes would be easier for people to swallow if their payments were "invested in maintaining facilities they use," rather than going into the city’s general fund for all services.

Instead, the public should expect maintenance and operations at tennis courts, recreation centers, ball fields and the rest of city’s 29,000 acres of parkland to suffer greatly if the mayor’s plan is adopted, said Henry Garrido, associate director of District Council 37, which represents many of the department’s rank-and-file staff.

While the Parks Department isn’t laying people off, the spending plan still guts staffing – especially maintenance workers and groundskeepers.

Nearly 1,800 parks jobs through a welfare-to-work program would be cut. In July, 1,468 full-timers would see their workload reduced to nine months a year, and another 299 jobs would be eliminated through buyouts.

Parks Department Spokeswoman Vickie Karp said "despite the fee increases, our recreation center memberships remain the most affordable deal in town" and playing at the city’s 700 public tennis courts is cheaper than at private centers.

She said the cuts and fee hikes are necessary because the city is in a "severe fiscal crisis."

City taxpayers would fund $222 million of the Parks Department’s $290 million budget, but Croft said the department shouldn’t have to reduce staffing since it expects to bring in $142.9 million in revenues this fiscal year and, unlike many other agencies, "basically pays for itself."

Recreation Permit Fees Increased

By Geoffrey Croft

The Bloomberg administration has quietly pushed through large recreation fee increases for Parks Department facilities.

Permit holders using Parks Department fields, including baseball, softball and basketball courts are in for a big change. The City has changed the fee structure from a session to an hourly fee. Permit fees for softball and baseball fields have gone from $16 per session to to $12.50 an hour. Fields including baseball, softball, and basketball courts with outdoor lights are also in for a big change. Prices for fields with lights have gone from $32.00 a session to 25.00/per hour. Cricket, football, lacrosse, rugby and ultimate Frisbee fields gone from $ 20.00 a session to $ 16.00/per hour. Baseball, softball and volleyball, Turf/Soft surface fields gone from $ 16.00 a session to $12.50/per hour. Basketball, baseball, softball, roller hockey and volleyball - $ 10.00 per session. Hardtop playing surfaces 8.00/per hour.

The prices are for people 18 years and older.

The Bloomberg administration has doubled the price for the seasonal adult tennis permit Parks from $100 to $ 200. Single-play tickets, for those who do not purchase permits, have increased from $7 per person to $ 15 per hour. Tennis permits, single-play tickets and court reservations have brought in between $1.8 million and $1.9 million annually over the past five years according to the Parks Department. The funds go to the city's general fund.

"We have big budget problems in the city, but I don't think this is going to achieve a balanced budget," Brooklyn Council Member Stephen Levin told the Wall Street Journal. "I think this particular method would deter people of modest means from playing tennis."

In January the City announced it had come to an agreement with the Bloomberg not to increase fees this fiscal year but apparently that agreement was partially voided.

A sparsely attended public hearing was held on the proposed rule changes at the Chelsea Recreation Center on January 25 by the Parks Department.

“The proposed increased fees are designed to help defray the costs for the Department to maintain fields, courts and Recreation Centers," the City claimed in a notice published in the City Record on December 23, 2010.

"The change to an hourly fee from a session fee is designed to establish a clearer and more understandable basis for assessing charges for field usage."

NYC ranks dead last in the provision of tennis courts for a high density city. Our residents share fewer than 600 tennis courts, many of them in bad shape due to a lack of maintenance and priority in funding.

Schedule of Permit Fees:

New material is indicated by underlining. Deletions are

indicated by brackets.

Field Lights (18 yrs & over) $ [32.00/session]

25.00/per hour

Cricket, football, lacrosse, rugby

and ultimate Frisbee fields

(18 yrs & over) $ [20.00/session]

16.00/per hour

Baseball, softball and volleyball,

Turf/Soft surface fields

(18 yrs & over) $ [16.00/session]

12.50/per hour

Basketball, baseball, softball,

roller hockey and volleyball, $ [10.00/session]

Hardtop playing surfaces 8.00/per hour

(18 yrs & over)

[A session is defined as 2 hours, with the exception of week

days after 4:00 P.M. on Manhattan fields, when session length is 90 minutes due to the high demand for fields.

Statement Regarding DPR’s Plan to Increase Recreation Center Fees

Submitted by Christine C. Quinn, Speaker, New York City Council and

Melissa Mark-Viverito, Chair, Committee on Parks and Recreation and

Domenic M. Recchia, Jr., Chair, Committee on Finance

January 28, 20111

We wish this statement to be included in the official record of this hearing. While we understand the difficult financial straits in which the City finds itself, as well as the need to generate revenues as a part of our overall budgetary solution, we believe the proposed plan to increase fees at Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) recreation centers should be examined closely to ensure that no undue burden is placed on those who are least able to pay such increases.

The Mayor and many of his commissioners have worked tirelessly to promote healthier lifestyles in New York City. From banning smoking in restaurants and bars, to mandating that nutrition information be posted in fast food restaurants, to urging New Yorkers to exercise more frequently, the message has been consistent: “Be healthy!” This has been a central focus of our energies as well, as evidenced by the recent release of a Council report entitled “FoodWorks: A Vision to Improve NYC’s Food System,” that outlines concrete steps the City can take to increase the availability and consumption of fresh foods.

It is with this push toward healthier lifestyles as a backdrop that the November Plan included a Program to Eliminate the Gap (PEG) designed to “generate additional revenue by increasing recreation center membership fees.” The original proposal called for the increase to go into effect toward the end of Fiscal 2011, for a partial-year revenue gain of $1 million. Due to concerns about the potential adverse impact of this proposal, the City Council reversed the Administration’s plan to initiate the fee increase in Fiscal 2011. Being discussed here today is the proposal to generate $4 million annually by enacting the fee increase beginning July 1.

People of all walks of life utilize City recreation centers, including those who presumably could afford to join private gym clubs at substantially higher prices. They do this, in many instances, because the centers are terrific, close to home, and offer programs of a kind not offered at private gyms. Still, this population is not our major concern. What we worry about is the cadre of lower- and middle-income New Yorkers who depend most heavily on these low-cost centers, and who might be frozen out by what are projected to be significant fee increases. Whereas children would continue to enjoy free membership, seniors would see their membership fee increase by 150%, from $10 to $25, and adults would see their fees increase by 100%, from $50 to $100 for centers without an indoor pool, and from $75 to $150 for centers having an indoor pool.

It is our hope that as it goes forward, the Department will examine whether this fee increase is truly necessary, and that if it is, alternative fee schedules be explored. It would be preferable if a means tested fee increase could be implemented, although we recognize that means testing may be logistically difficult. Another alternative would be allowing for payment on a quarterly or semi-annual basis. Lastly, perhaps on a pilot basis, the Department could ask recreation center users to pay a voluntary fee increase in Fiscal 2012 and see how close to the $4-million target the incremental revenue collections come in. The closest parallel to this type of voluntary payment would be the voluntary donations certain museums charge for entry: nobody is denied entry for non-payment or for contributions lower than the suggested amount; rather, means testing is approximated via a self-identification of ability (and willingness) to pay.

In sum, we urge the Department to examine closely the potential adverse impact the proposed fee increases may cause, and explore creative ways to protect the City’s bottom line while also enabling as many New Yorkers as possible to enjoy the amenities at DPR recreation centers.

We appreciate the opportunity to be heard on this important matter.

Read More:

Cost to play tennis 'doubles' in city's fee plan

New York Post - March 7, 2011 - By Rich Calder

Brooklyn news Double fees are a disaster

The Brooklyn Paper - February 4, 2011 - By Sean Hoess

Tennis Advocates Fault Double Fee

The Wall Street Journal - January 28, 2010 - By Tom Perrotta

City Council Submits Testimony Regarding Proposed Recreation Center Fee Increases

City Council Parks and Recreation Committee Blog - January 28, 2011

Bloomberg Backs Down On Raising Recreation Fees In Parks - For Now

A Walk In The Park - January 6, 2011