NYC neighborhood to get its first-ever public pool as part of $46.1M investment

Some Queens residents will be getting their first-ever public pool — which locals consider a much-needed refuge from the summer heat — as part of a $46.1 million state investment to expand swimming in the boroughs.

While the Arverne and Edgemere neighborhoods in Far Rockaway are a stone’s throw from the ocean, residents say the planned indoor and outdoor pool at the forthcoming Arverne East Aquatic Center will provide a clean, safe environment for children without being subject to unpredictable beach weather – or deadly undercurrents.

“Sometimes we go to the beach [to cool off], but it’s not that worth it because the water is really cold,” said 17-year-old Arverne resident A.J. “An indoor pool would be interesting because it’s either really hot or really cold here. I’m sure people will use it a lot, it’ll probably be packed.”

“We have a lot of parks, but the parks here – they are trash,” said local Maya Brown, 25. “The new pool would be, probably, for the kids. A good place for them to hang out.”

The $10 million investment in Queens is part of the statewide NY SWIMS initiative, which aims to provide greater access to pools where residents can learn how to swim. According to NYC Council figures, more than half of New Yorkers live more than a 15-minute walk from a public pool.

The closest public pool to Far Rockaway is Lindower Park Mini Pool, located nearly 10 miles away — or over an hour on three bus routes.

The local YMCA is the cheapest option for pool lovers, with the lowest tier student rate starting at $56 per month – which can be a steep ask for the 22% of residents in the zip code living below the poverty level.

“It would be nice for the community,” said one 45-year-old Arverne resident, who declined to provide her name to The Post. “The kids need to learn how to swim … A lot of kids, depending on the area, don’t know how to swim.” 

“It would be good for my son: something to do after school, somewhere we could hang out, do activities,” said resident David Jones, 30.

NY SWIMS, slated to be the largest statewide investment in swimming since the New Deal, joins Mayor Eric Adams’ Let’s Swim NYC program – which will provide $1 billion in capital investments in building and improving public pools over the next five years.

“So many New Yorkers’ first experience with the water is in one of our city’s free public pools,” NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue said in a statement.

“Our facilities are essential infrastructure for teaching swimming and water safety skills, rebuilding our pipeline of lifeguards, and keeping New Yorkers cool in the face of rising temperatures.”

The Rockaway Peninsula, where Arverne is located, saw four drowning deaths this summer alone – part of a whopping seven total deaths at beaches in New York City. It’s the highest death toll since 2019, The Post previously reported.

Six of the seven people who died lived more than 15 minutes away from public swimming facilities, according to a Gothamist analysis published this week. At least five of those deaths happened after lifeguard duty hours.

“When kids don’t have access to pools & swim lessons, in a sweltering city surrounded by water, this is the result,” Council Member Shekar Krishnan, who has been advocating for more pools and free swim lessons this summer, wrote on X. “We have to do better.”

While the Arverne East Aquatic Center has yet to break ground, four revamps to existing pools are in the works — including a complete reconstruction of Van Cortlandt Pool in the Bronx, a renovation of the Hansborough Rec Center and Hamilton Fish Recreation Center in Manhattan and a reconstruction and expansion of the Tompkins Square Park mini-pool in Manhattan.

The Hansborough Rec Center is already under construction and slated to finish in Spring 2026, while Van Cortlandt Pool will be closed for construction in Summer 2028 before it reopens the next year. 

The other projects are in the “early planning stages and do not yet have a firm timeline for completion,” a NYC Parks spokesperson told The Post.

“Public pools are such important community amenities and I’m thrilled to partner with the Governor’s office and welcome improvements to the pools I grew up going to with family and friends,” Council Member Carlina Rivera told The Post of the two pool upgrades coming to her district in the East Village and the Lower East Side.

“Public pools are spaces for gathering with the community and provide the opportunity for New Yorkers to learn how to swim.”

“This is the third-largest park in New York City, and it’s only fitting that our community receives this kind of investment,” Council Member Eric Dinowitz told The Post of the Van Cortlandt Pool renovation.

“Our local families deserve a high-quality space where they can swim, relax, and enjoy the outdoors. We’ve passed several bills in the City Council to expand access to pools and swimming lessons, so this news couldn’t come at a better time.”

That pool previously received a facelift in 2021 with colorful pool deck chairs and a mural with painted suns, palm trees, sunglasses and the NYC Parks logo. The latest upgrades will reconstruct the entire pool complex, including ADA-compliant pool tubs and decks for the main and wading pools. In addition, a new filtration system and new security lighting, locker rooms and offices will be added.

But some Bronx locals aren’t too pleased with the plans to close the pool for an entire season. Some locals at the park Thursday afternoon said the pool — which is one of only two Olympic-sized facilities in the entire borough — will be sorely missed in the meantime.

“The park absolutely needs renovations,” said Maurine Plummer, 70, who has created petitions about adding lights to the park. “But the kids also need the park.”