One of New York City’s biggest public pools will remain off-limits during this week’s punishing heat wave — and for much of next month — after officials cited “unforeseen” mechanical problems, marking the second year in a row the aging neighborhood “lifeline” has been forced to shut down.
Red Hook Pool, a beloved Brooklyn destination and one of the borough’s five Olympic-size public pools, failed to open Saturday for the citywide start of outdoor pool season “due to the sudden, unforeseen failure of mechanical equipment,” representatives for the city Parks Department said.
The nearly 100-year-old summer refuge is expected to stay closed through most of July as well, making it one of several city pools still unavailable at the beginning of the season, according to the department.
Adding to the frustration, one of the alternative pools Red Hook families are being directed to on the NYC Parks website is also closed.
“It’s very disappointing,” said Red Hook mother Karin-Jolie Rosado. “We waited all year for this.
“It was closed last summer, and then this summer there are still issues,” she said of the neighborhood pool. “They should have resolved the issues by now.”
Her 8-year-old daughter, Loretta, summed up the disappointment simply: “It’s really sad because we don’t have anywhere else to swim.”
Last year, the opening of Red Hook’s 90-year-old pool complex was pushed back until August because of a broken pipe dating back decades, The City reported.
This year’s delay was blamed on a flooded filter plant beneath the pool, which damaged motors and other equipment, a Parks rep said — adding that the discovery was only made four days before opening day.
“This could’ve been avoided,” said Adam Ganser, executive director of the advocacy group New Yorkers For Parks, who called the matter “at its purest form, a staffing issue.”
The policy group noted that an estimated 50 plumbers on Parks’ payroll is far below the number needed to maintain the city’s 1,700 parks and playgrounds.
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The group is now renewing calls for the agency to fund an additional 150 tradespeople to keep up with its aging infrastructure.
Ganser called the pool a “lifeline” for city dwellers, especially ahead of the summer’s first “heat dome” situation and triple-digit temperatures expected later this week.
“The water is something that gives the kids a safe activity to do during a heat wave,” Rosado said. “Otherwise, they are stuck at home.”
The pool is one of several sites closed for unplanned maintenance as of Tuesday afternoon, Parks said, awhile two other pools are under construction for long-term capital improvements.
Claremont Pool in The Bronx is shuttered because of mechanical issues, and the Doulgass and DeGraw Pool in Gowanus – the city-touted Red Hook Pool alternative – is also closed because of a “category 2 water quality issue.”
“Pools generally experience temporary closures for a variety of reasons: mechanical, sanitary, weather, etc.,” a Parks rep told The Post.
“Many of our pools are celebrating their 90th year in use this season, including Red Hook Pool,” the rep said, noting that, “to ensure that Red Hook Pool can continue to serve New Yorkers for generations,” the site has been earmarked for a $122 million renovation project set to begin in 2028.
Aside from 53 free outdoor pools, the Parks system also touts an array of splash pads to beat the summer heat.
But the cooling features are facing “outages” in record numbers, a Post investigation recently found, with Parks reps blaming last winter’s severe weather combined with “very few staff resources for repairs.”
The news comes as the city’s new budget paves the way for a new Parks “Renew Crew” pilot program — which is funded through 2027 — set to make “quick targeted improvements” for playgrounds, courts, fields and other green spaces.
Still, Ganser argues the city must still invest in full-time tradespeople to keep the city’s green spaces up and running.
“A lot of this is highly sophisticated mechanical equipment or plumbing, and you need professionals on staff to ensure that everything is is is in good, operable condition,” Ganser said.
“This begs a larger question, which is why doesn’t the agency have the staffing it needs to take care of these issues, which are occurring every single year.”
