Everybody Into The Pool!

It was a great day for a grand opening. Especially if the festivities celebrated the ribbon-cutting of the newly renovated . And that's how hundreds of Port Washington residents spent their Saturday.

What started as a complete overhaul in September 2010 is now a setting befit for a beach resort rather than a public facility. The construction process spearheaded by the Stalco Construction, Inc. was completed on time despite extreme cold weather conditions this winter.

With the construction cost totaling $12.6 million, this complex features a 23,500-square-foot main pool and a 2,500-square-foot children’s wading pool. These new installations are a drastic departure from the town’s deteriorated 50-year-old pool.

Town officials shared some of the details about the complex.

“This was a very tight schedule," Supervisor Jon Kaiman said. "We couldn’t start construction until the last day of the season last year and of course we wanted to open up the first day of the season this year, school just ended this last week so this was the first full weekend that we usually open.”

He added: “There’s a few other things we could do, we’re going to add some more shade structures that’s important . . . but for the most part I think it’s a great pool and a great project.”

“It’s an extraordinary facility, with an extraordinary view of a great bay, I mean what more could you want?" Councilman Fred Pollack asked. "And the weather is great. Everyone’s been coming up and saying they can’t believe this is a town pool and not a hotel in the Caribbean. There are no drinks in the island however!”

Eight-year-old Mickey DiNapoli, a local who has been an avid pool-goer since infancy, christened the pool by gliding down the slide. His mother, Claire DiNapoli, stood nearby.  

“It’s wonderful," she said. "They did a great job and anyone with children should be excited!”

Locals  did their part by swimming, tanning, and chatting within minutes of the ribbon being cut. The event was made even sweeter with the help of some KJOY-FM deejays, and a professional hair braiding booth. 

The pool's amenities include a concession stand, offices, childcare facilities, multipurpose/event room, locker rooms, a 19-feet-high water slide, and three palm tree sprinklers.

The main pool features a gently sloped, ADA-compliant, 100-foot-wide ‘beach’ zero entry ramp for easy access by users of varied physical abilities, including those in wheelchairs.

And even though there were complaints about the lack of diving boards and deep ends, and also that the concession stand had limited offerings and no salads, the pool, at least on Saturday, was packed. 

Editor's note: This article was updated to reflect information about ADA compliancy released in a case study distributed to the media.