After More Than A Year, New Rochelle YMCA Pool Facility Opens To The Public

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. - After more than a year of emergency renovations at the New Rochelle YMCA pool, city officials officially opened the doors of the facility to the public once more on Wednesday afternoon.

Let there be light! Additional lighting has been added to the New Rochelle YMCA pool facility as they inch towards a grand opening.
Photo Credit: *New Rochelle YMCA*

The new pool at the New Rochelle YMCA is open to the public.
Photo Credit: *YMCA New Rochelle/Facebook*

Members of the New Rochelle Fire Department were on hand at the YMCA to lend a hand and fill the pool after nearly a year of renovations.
Photo Credit: *Contributed*

New Rochelle YMCA officials have finished the first coat of paint at the pool, and just one more coat this week stands between it and water.
Photo Credit: *Contributed*

Steel and roof work is nearing completion at the New Rochelle YMCA pool.
Photo Credit: *New Rochelle YMCA*

Work is ongoing in the interior and exterior of the New Rochelle YMCA pool.
Photo Credit: *New Rochelle YMCA*

Zak Failla

03/09/2016 5:30 p.m.

After various delays, months of extensive construction and a series of inspections, the New Rochelle YMCA pool facility was officially open to the public as of noon on Wednesday after receiving their final inspection on Tuesday afternoon.

Beginning on Wednesday, the pool is open with an alternating lap and open swim schedule that will extend through the weekend. The regular schedule, including aquatic fitness classes, progressive swim classes, lap swimming and the swim team will begin as of Monday, March 14.

During a routine inspection in the summer of 2014, contractors discovered that there was severe damage to the overhead drop ceiling above the pool, complete with dangerously eroded support beams, forcing officials to shut down the aquatic center - one of the main sources of revenue for the YMCA.

Originally, the pool was scheduled to be opened late last year, but it has been delayed multiple times.

The grand opening was been repeatedly pushed back as officials dealt with “a few things that happened that were out of (their) control.” The opening date was ultimately determined by the final inspection by the Department of Health.

“Our pool has been out of commission for over a year. That means, behind the scenes, our pump room was also out of commission,” YMCA officials said in a joint statement. “Imagine parking a car in the cold and not turning it on for an extended period of time. We knew that issues may arise, but we had no way of determining what those issues would be until we started everything up again.”

Since work began, the roof has been completely replaced, complete with new HVAC units. The interior of the center has been overhauled, complete with new paint along the walls and in the hallway and new pool lights. In addition to the interior and roof work, contractors also did some exterior work, replacing five windows.

Last month, the New Rochelle Fire Department assisted in re-filling the pool with water after a year, while YMCA officials were tasked with heating the pool and balancing the water’s pH and chlorine levels in recent weeks.

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