Astoria pool will be closed this summer for renovations: Parks

Phil Corso

and

Catalina Gonella

Published Mar 1, 2023

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The Parks Department says it hopes to reopen the pool in Astoria Park by summer 2024.

Jake Offenhartz

Phil Corso

and

Catalina Gonella

Published Mar 1, 2023

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Weather projections have shown that New Yorkers should expect a warmer-than-usual summer season, but residents in Astoria, Queens might need to find a different way to cool off.

The Olympic-sized swimming pool at Astoria Park at 19th Street at 23rd Drive is undergoing $19 million in renovations and will be closed this summer, officials said. The pool is getting a new liner, gutter and deck, the Parks Department said, along with new filtration systems. The pool’s spray shower on the north end of the pool will remain open throughout construction, but the amphitheater on the south end will be closed, the city said.

A city Parks Department spokesman said the pool should reopen by summer 2024.

“We never close amenities unless absolutely necessary, and unfortunately, Astoria Pool will be closed this summer for needed repairs to the pool tub and mechanical systems -- at nearly 100 years old, many of the pool’s features have reached the end of their service life,” senior press officer for Parks Dan Kastanis said in a statement. “We know this historic pool is a beloved neighborhood amenity, and these repairs will help to ensure that this 87-year-old icon continues to serve future generations of New Yorkers.”

The city recently celebrated the reopening of an Olympic-sized indoor swimming pool in Flushing after it had been closed for three years for renovations. City officials gathered at the Flushing Meadows Aquatics Center earlier this week to blow lifeguard whistles to mark the occasion.

But Astoria locals like President of the Old Astoria Neighborhood Association Richard Khuzami are worried the city will not stick to its own timelines after seeing the Flushing facility closed for much longer than the six weeks that Parks originally indicated.

“We think that constant maintenance is extremely important. So in general, we understand the need for the work that's being done,” Khuzami said. “At this point, the biggest concern by far is the fact that, historically in recent pool renovations with the city, they've overextended their timeline.”

The closure comes as the National Weather Service projects that summer 2023 will include much warmer temperatures than normally seen throughout much of the Northeast.

Khuzami said the pool is “extremely important” to the large population of young people in the neighborhood and the city should consider providing fare reimbursement for transport to other pools.

The pool opened during the Great Depression in 1936 and has become a neighborhood staple for residents. It was one of 11 outdoor public pools the city opened that summer.

The OANA will host a Parks Department representative on Wednesday, March 8 to discuss the closure with community leaders. The meeting will be streamed on the association’s social media.

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