Swimming

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For nearly 90 years, the incredible vision of FDR’s Works Progress Administration (WPA) funded pools guaranteed New Yorkers a safe place to swim outdoors during the hottest summer months. Built in 1936, the Red Hook Pool was the last of 11 WPA pools to open and is Red Hook’s prized jewel in this often forgotten neighborhood. It is beloved by locals and avid swimmers across the city. When I learned on June 27, 2025, the day the Red Hook Pool was set to open, that a burst pipe would keep it shut down most of the summer, it was beyond disappointing. It meant that thousands of residents would have to sweat out the summer of 2025 with no cooling relief from the pool. It meant that scores of Red Hook youth would not have an opportunity to learn to swim this year. It meant that swimmers would have to look elsewhere to fulfill their need for fitness and emotional well-being. After much grit and determination from multiple stakeholders including our elected officials and NYC Parks, it is fitting the pool will finally re-open on August 17, the same day in 1936 when the pool originally opened to a crowd of nearly 40,000 people! Thank you to all the creative thought and hard work to ensure that the pool was not shuttered for the whole summer. We look forward to returning the pool to its cherished status, with a full reconstruction in the coming years!