Brooklyn Bridge Park: New Pool Hours

Karl and his cam have been regular visitors to the Brooklyn Bridge Park Pool, so he was on hand for the posting of new hours for pool use that go into effect today. To accommodate more swimmers, shifts have been shortened from one hour to 45 minutes, with 15 minutes allowed for changeover. The first shift begins at 10:00 a.m. and goes to 10:45; the second from 11:00 to 11:45, and so on through 5:00 to 5:45 p.m. This will increase daily capacity by 60%. Video after the jump.

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  • Gerry

    A swimmer needs one full hour for a work out in the pool.

    Early this morning I swam for 60 minutes at Hofstra University Swim Center from 6am to 7am. I was in my car at 430am left Montague Terrace stopped in DUMBO to get the N Y Times and arrived at Hofstra at 525am read the paper until the pool opened.

    After a great swim I went to work at my office in Great Neck.

    In downtown Brooklyn we need a great pool with early morning hours and not this poor excuse for a pool.

  • gc

    @Gerry: Ditto!!!

  • gatornyc

    Gerry, self-indulgent much. Believe or not this pool was not intended just for you. It was intended for the fine residents of NYC who by the looks of Karl’s video were having a mighty fine time. Mission accomplished.

  • WillowSt.Neighbor

    jbob,
    Sounds to me like you haven’t even been to the pool or you would not have been able to make such an absurd comment.

  • She’s Crafty

    @Gerry, there’s a good pool at the Y on Atlantic which I think opens early. Eastern Athletic also has a pool. But it sounds like the Hofstra pool is pretty convenient since you work in Great Neck, so I don’t really understand your comment.

  • sue

    Pool is a joke….You cannot swim in it… Lets see Regina Meyer swim in it with 60 people…

  • my2cents

    Obviously this is a pool for splashing around and cooling off—not for swimming laps and I like it that way. Frankly swimming laps at any NYC pool is a stress-inducing experience, not a relaxing one. My first and last time at the Atlantic Ave Y I was yelled at by another swimmer for not swimming fast enough even though I was in the slow lane…

  • hicksanthrope

    I agree. the pool is a joke. They want to increase daily capacity? Here’s an idea.. Build a bigger pool!

  • MonroeOrange

    Gerry tell us more about stopping in Dumbo for the NY times…that was really fascinating….and then you read the paper…wow…fascinating stuff really!

  • Heightsman

    Gerry you’re a tool on so many levels. Enough said.

  • Gerry

    @ Shes Crafty – the new YMCA pool on Atlantic Ave is Ok it is not an olympic size aquatics center 50 meters long like Hofstra Swim Center of Asphalt Green and the St. Geroge EAC pool is really bad it is small and run poorly.

    Regretfully there is no aquatics center in downtown Brooklyn.

    @ gatornyc – this pool is a poor excuse for residents of Brooklyn it is way too small and too crowded

    @ sue – you said it the pool is a “joke” I agree with you

    @ my2cents – the lifegaurd was not doing the job they are supposed to enforce lanes for fast, slow, medium to prevent arugments

    @ hicksanthrope – yes the pool must be larger

    @ MonroeOrange – each morning i stop at the 24 Hour place in DUMBO double park run in and get another coffee and the NY Times I never miss the NY Times especially the Obituaires AKA The Irish Sports Page

    @ Heightsman – And I am not interested in your opinion either.

  • Mr. Crusty

    So if the pool is horrible and joke nobody is using it right? Those people that I see that are seemingly renjoying it are really paid actors for BBP?

    It reminds me of that famous Yogi Berra saying “nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded”.

    The pool seems to be serving the purpose that it was intended for – to have some place for parents to take their children to cool off by splashing in an outdoor pool with some of their neighbors. Great job.

    The fact that it annoys Gerry is a double plus.

  • WillowSt.Neighbor

    Mr Crusty,
    I totally agree with you. I now take a walk or two on the Promenade during the day just to watch everyone enjoying the pool.

  • amanda

    Gerry, the Red Hook public pool is huge and free and has lap swims in the mornings. Not sure if it’s open early enough for you and I’ve never been early enough for lap swimming, but it’s a pretty great free resource. Commodore Barry Park in Ft. Greene (just up from the Navy Yard) also has a free pool, though it’s not as big.

  • sue

    Clearly some are enjoying the mini-pool. Ths question of the day is why Senator Sqadron who has taken credit for this has been unable to negotiate better on behalf of this community. He seems to cave to the Mayor ….often .. Why could we not get a real pool?

  • GHB

    Why not just let the kids enjoy the small, shallow pool. It wasn’t built for Olympic training.

  • sue

    GHB
    Why not let the kids enjoy it while we find out from Daniel Sqadron why he could not get this community a decent sized pool from the mayor?

  • Mr. Crusty

    Sue I don’t know what “negotiate better on behalf of this community” means. That is rather subjective.

    This is a temporary pool that seems to be serving its intended purpose. Lots of people are using it and those that are using it have positive things to say. Are they less important members of the “community” that those that may want an Olympic sized swimming pool so that they can swim laps?

    I don’t have a dog in this hunt as I would unlikely use either facility but I love it when people extrapolate their personal desires and wants into what the “community” needs.

  • Mr. Crusty

    The motto in Brooklyn Heights should be, “Let no good deed go unpunished”.

  • PJL

    Agree with Mr. Crusty and GHB.

    Not to mention what’s been happening at the McCarren Park Pool….

  • Mr. Crusty

    Also, as someone else pointed out, the City has a free Olympic sized public pool less than 2 miles from Brooklyn Heights in Red Hook. I can’t see how they could justify another similar sized pool so close.

  • WillowSt.Neighbor

    PJL,
    Were there any recent incidents at McCarren Park Pool?
    I haven’t read any news about McCarren Pool since it’s opening.

  • PJL
  • WillowSt.Neighbor

    Gerry,
    The olympic sized pools in Brooklyn are not open to the public until 11AM. Even if there was an olympic sized pool in BH it would most likely follow the same hours as all the other pools.
    Sounds like you have a good option for swimming on LI. It seems to work for you.

  • GHB

    Wow Sue, do you feel that you’re owed a pool?

  • sue

    N0. but lets not call a mini pool for 4 plus years a pool. It is ironic that at a time when the mayor pushes increased exercise we get this.. This was part of an agreement made with the city.. Maybe our electeds should have taken the communitys pulse. When we had the floating lady pool there were no incidents and it was appreciated and enjoyed by all.. You can sell this if you want to as a positive but its not. It shows the impotence of our state elected officals when dealing with the mayor.
    I am closing my part of this discussion now.. I hope that those who think this pool is great are not shilling for the conservancy,
    the BBP Board, Daniel or the Mayor
    Happy weekend…

  • Mr. Crusty

    Ugh. The “shilling” argument again.

  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/13189502@N02/ Eddyenergizer

    I still say we should convert the Heights Casino into an aquatics center.

  • Gerry

    @ Amanda – thanks but the Red Hook pool is not open at 5am and it is outdoors a nice aquatic center would be indoors open from 5am to 11pm

    @ willowstreetneighbor – yes the pools in Brooklyn are not open to the public St. Francis College has a great pool as a member of the Heights Casino I may use it one night per week however I have office hours preculde my participation – and yes working in Nassau County and being adjunct faculty at Hofstra with my office in Great Neck I have acess to a few great pools.

    The nearest Aquatics Center to Brooklyn Heights is Asphalt Green E 92 street and East End Ave next to Gracie Mansion opens at 530am closed at 11pm I swam here for a few years for me with a car and a City parking placard I could do that others would have a difficult time it is a long walk from a subway parking would be impossible.

    @ sue – I suppose this crummy excsue for a pool is better than nothing its for kids not for real swimmers in just 2 short months it will be closed up until next year – and its a cheap pool unheated small cost very little money to put up and run this pool.

    @ PJL – I tried the new McCaren Park Pool last week it opens way too late for a morning swim. The new pool is beautiful there were no problems when we were there I think my sons and I were the only white people there – and everyone was very nice to us. I wish this pool had a roof over it that this was an indoor pool.

  • Gatornyc

    Sue, you’ve closed your part of the discussion, but I’ll respond anyway. You want more but where is it going to go and who’s going to pay for it? This is a good thing for many even though it may not live up to your expectations. There is a lot more of BBP to build and it is still not fully funded. Nevertheless, more than $700,000 in funding was obtained to bulid this pool which many are now enjoying (nice quote from Yogi, Mr. Crusty). There are park projects that have been scrapped in Williamsburg and other areas, yet this pool got built. That looks like successful represenstation by our local officials to me. Particularly in these difficult financial times, its difficult to looks at this pool is as anything but a win.