Roosevelt Island Outdoor Swimming At Manhattan Park and Octagon Buildings - Indoor Swimming Pools Available Too
The NY Times reported today on outdoor swimming pools in Manhattan residential buildings:
LIKE iced tea, perhaps, or casual Fridays, outdoor pools are in many minds forever linked with summer. After all, the sensation of sun on wet skin after a few dips in the deep end just about sums up the season.Roosevelt Island's two outdoor swimming pools were not mentioned in the article. At Manhattan Park
But that pleasure is denied to most apartment-dwellers in New York City. If their building has a pool at all, it is probably of the enclosed kind.
Of the approximately 150 pools in residential buildings in Manhattan, only about 15 are outside, according to the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; some of those 15 are in private town houses....
Image of Manhattan Park Swimming Pool
and the Octagon.
The Manhattan Park pool is open to anyone who joins the Pool Club. The Octagon Pool is only for those who live in the building and their guests.
Roosevelt Island indoor swimming pools are also available at the Rivercross and Westview buildings as well as in Sportspark.
More on Roosevelt Island swimming from the RI Marlins and these previous posts.
UPDATE 8/9 - According to the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC), the Westview Pool is open to all Roosevelt Island residents with pool memberships but the Rivercross pool is only open to building residents.
8 comments :
Why hasn't the island house pool been fixed? It's been over 20 years since it was opened. It used to be such a nice pool. It's a shame that no one will step up to get it back open. What a waste!
The nice thing about the Manhattan Park pool this year is that management decided to charge non-Manhattan Park residents a lot more than families who live in MP. It made the pool a lot less popular and removed the constant competition for chairs and umbrellas as it happened the previous years.
We have lived here five years and only found out by accident that at least one of the indoor pools is open to membership. Can anyone explain why that kind of information (as well as information on the garden near the soccer field) made available to new residents?
It's about how fast you get to know people from all over the island. When we moved here 7 years ago we found out about the WV pool rather quickly. The Sportpark is relatively new and it has been advertised all over the island.
I was referring to the Westview pool ... and what about the garden? This inclusive community is only that to those who moved here before the Octagon or the Riverwalk buildings.
That kind of information should be everywhere - and given to everyone who moves into "the neighborhood".
AFAIK the WV pool does advertise once in a while in the WIRE but I could be wrong. You could have found it by using google, though. It has been mentioned on this blog a few times in the past.
The community gardens do advertise, though. I know this for sure. You call them up and put your name on a wait list. Not sure how long it is, though.
One of the reasons why I started this blog was to distribute information about Roosevelt island more broadly throughout the community rather than to just those select few in the know.
Here's contact info for the Garden Club. I don't have the phone # but do have email and mailing address.
http://rooseveltislander.blogspot.com/2010/08/take-walk-through-roosevelt-island.html
There are some structural problems with the pool, as affected by the river. There have been estimates of several million dollars to fix it. Right now Island House residents are focused on maintaining affordable housing via a conversion.
I note that Island House residents had a vote on selecting an affordable plan in September 2009, with those in opposition stated that the tenants should hold out for the owner including the pool in the deal. The tenants overwhelming rejected the idea that we should include the pool (and its fix-up) in the transaction.
Sure, everyone would love a pool, but it's not in the cards right
now. Maybe after the building converts the new ownership structure will
determine the best use of the space.
The Westview pool is very nice, it's year-round, and (compared to Sportpark) very clean.
Frank Farance
Island House resident
Post a Comment