ARDSLEY, N.Y. - The main swimming pool at Anthony F. Veteran Park, built back in the 1960s, is showing signs of age.
Its fiberglass liner is cracked and a section of it had to be closed for the rest of the summer. But water lovers dont need to worry about losing a place to relax and escape from the heat - the town has already planned a repair, even if its not the complete overhaul the pool needs.
I dont like the word band-aid approach because this is more than band-aid, said Gerard Byrne, Greenburghs parks and recreation commissioner.
The compromise solution, estimated at $140,000, consists of cutting out the entire fiberglass liner four inches from the top, repairing the concrete shell and installing a PVC liner, Byrne said.
I was told that the life expectancy of those liners, if maintained properly, can be 20 to 25 years, he said. This will be a cost effective way to address this issue right now and give us some more time before we completely renovate the pool complex.
If a new complex is still a distant reality, Byrne at least has an idea of what it will look like. From a corner of his office he produced the sketches of proposed layouts for both Anthony F. Veteran and Massaro parks pools, the outcome of the Swimming Pool Modernization study conducted last year. The document can be downloaded from the towns website.
The project would cost $5.5 million, spent until 2026, Byrne said.
In this economy right now, its really something we dont want to take up, he said.
But Byrne guaranteed that the planned repair will allow Greenburgh residents to enjoy the pool just as before.
You will still have a wonderful, iconic pool experience, he said.
Indeed, a few users said that they didnt notice the closed section, but were quick to point to the pools pleasures: the nice layout, the shade spots, the free parking.
I love it. My kids love it, said Nate Hook, of Greenburgh, after he arrived at the pool last Thursday accompanied by his wife, his daughter Brianne, 6, and his son Jay, 4.
Are you a member of Anthony F. or Massaro park's pools? What do you think of them? Discuss in Facebook.
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