By Bobby Panza
Last week, West Side Rag reported that the Frederick Douglass Mini Pool, located on Amsterdam Avenue between 100th and 101st streets, would be the only public pool open on the Upper West Side beginning June 27.
The pool was listed as open on the official New York City Parks Department website.
However, over the weekend, multiple tipsters alerted the Rag to the fact that the pool was actually closed.
When asked why the pool was closed, a Parks Department spokesperson said it was temporarily shuttered “due to lifeguard staffing.”
“It will likely be closed for at least a few days,” the spokesperson added. “We should have a better idea by Friday when it will reopen.”
A message on the Parks Department website for the Frederick Douglass Pool, which was added sometime Monday after the Rag inquired about the Upper West Side pool being closed, now reads: “Frederick Douglass Pool is currently closed, we apologize for the inconvenience. We expect this condition to be resolved by 7/10/2024 at 11 a.m.”
WSR visited the Frederick Douglass Mini Pool on Tuesday morning. Inside, a lone park staff member was cleaning the pool deck with a leaf blower. When asked about the pool’s status, the staffer said, “We’re currently cleaning the outside area. The pool is closed, and I’m not sure about anything else.” There was no sign indicating that the pool was closed due to a lifeguard shortage, but the gate was shut.
While on-site, a mother walked up with her child in a stroller, expecting the pool to be open. “It’s too bad, but we’ll probably go over to Riverside [Park] somewhere to get some shade instead,” she said.
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The NYC lifeguard system has been a disaster for decades. NYMag did some great work explaining the issues. https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/09/nyc-lifeguards-investigation.html https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/06/peter-stein-nyc-lifeguards.html
Interesting! And terrifying. Thanks for posting
NYC is a disgrace. It isn’t just the lifeguards, it’s the facilities. Here is the aquatic center at a small french town in the alps. It is gorgeous and CLEAN. We simply can’t even have the most basic nice things in NYC because they are ruined with poor planning, poor management, poor government and a low trust society. https://lepalaismegeve.com/en/aquatic-center/
@Bill you forgot one “poor” that explains all the other ones — poor funding. The public sector generally and the NYC Parks Dept. in particular have been progressively starved of money for decades while the wealthy pay less and less in taxes and insulate themselves from the masses in gated communities, expensive clubs, helicopters, etc. European countries still fund things as if regular people matter.
In 2001, the top 5% of earners paid 53% of all Federal tax collections. In 2021, they paid 66%. I doubt NY State has fallen behind relative to this. You’re welcome.
We also spend/waste 2x the national average per public school student – with dismal (even when fake) results and ever-laxer standards.
We also spend north of $60,000 per year (the GDP-PPP of Germany, Canada or the UK) per “client” of the Dept. of Homeless Services. And that was before we imported additional poverty and crime in the last 2 years, all neatly housed in minty little Midtown hotels at what I’m sure are tax-payer funded $300+ rates per night.
Etc, etc.
So no, poor funding is not the issue. Absurdly poor management is.
The government is a horrible, horrible allocator of capital.
112.4 billion in FY 2025–oh yeah must be the funding—seriously this pool should be open and sparkling—the level of theft and corruption are beyond the pale—ppl should not accept cuts to services—where does all this money go?
Yes, you are correct. However, the blame can’t be laid exclusively at the feet of the “wealthy”. It is politicians that decide where to spend the money and bureaucrats that don’t get value for the money.
“The Parks Department is getting $20 million less funding than last year even as the city budget grew by $5 billion. The $618 million for Parks in a $112.4 billion budget comes to 0.55%, the lowest share of funding set forth in an adopted budget in a decade.
As a candidate, Eric Adams promised that at least 1% of the city’s overall budget would be dedicated to the city’s parks.”
https://www.thecity.nyc/2024/07/01/parks-budget-shrinks-eric-adams/
Hey, Bill, you’re right. NYC public facilities are disgraceful.
But I linked over to that aquatic center in France, and while it may be open to the public, it is NOT free. A one-month adult membership is 99 euros, 55 for a child.
Yes, you are correct. You can pay a nominal daily fee as well.
This pool is the size of a postage stamp. Is there water and is there a deep end? Yes. But we’re not talking about “staffing” something that anyone who is alert and oriented x 4 couldn’t do. Of all the pools to not have somebody!
Can’t we let people decide for themselves if they’re willing to risk swimming without a lifeguard? Why can’t people who are willing to sign a waiver saying they won’t sue, swim?
yes by all means, waivers fix everything. How many dead kids would be too many for you?
That’s not how it works with public facilities.
The City is spending huge amounts to fund DOT Open Streets for brunch and bicyclists.
At the same time, the City is cutting the Parks Department budget and among other things, cannot properly fund lifeguards.
Open Streets should be eliminated and money moved to Parks, pools….