In an exclusive interview, NYC Park Commissioner Sue Donoghue shares why there is a shortage of staff, despite having many renovations lined up for city pools. Andrew Siff reports.
What to Know
- This season, pool-goers will have another option when it comes to choosing where to keep cool in the city. A grand option, as in "New York City's largest pool"- type of grand.
- The Astoria Pool, which is the city's largest pool, holding one million gallons at 330 feet long, is ready for swimmers after being closed nearly two years to undergo a $19 million upgrade.
- Earlier this month, the city announced it had committed $1 billion to re-do 39 other pools.
New York City public pools open for the season on Thursday, and parks officials plan to kick it off with a bang, reopening their grandest pool for the first time in years after a $19 million upgrade.
The Astoria Pool, which is the city's largest pool, holding one million gallons at 330 feet long, is almost ready for swimmers after being closed nearly two years to undergo a $19 million upgrade.
The facility was almost 100 years old.
In an exclusive interview with NBC New York, NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue said the biggest ticket item for Astoria Pool is a new filtration system.
“We are looking at a brand-new pool liner and we re-did the whole pool deck," Donoghue said.
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The upgrades have been a long time coming since it is replacing infrastructure, including the filtration system, from the 1930s.
News
On Tuesday, the city announced it is committing $1 billion dollars to re-do 39 other pools.
The pool season in New York City starts June 27 -- the day after NYC Schools end for summer, and on which the Astoria Pool and 49 others will open for all summer revelers. Pools close Sept. 8.
Daily hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Get more information here.
