Yonkers Residents Outraged After Officials Close Popular Swimming Pool For The Season
YONKERS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) – Temperatures are expected to be in the 80s this weekend, but one part of Westchester County will be without its popular local pool.
Just a year after finishing an expensive renovation project, the Spain Ridge Pool in Yonkers is closed for the season.
Now, residents are demanding answers, and Westchester County officials are launching an investigation to find out why the crown jewel of their county pools is nothing more than an empty concrete hole.
When the pool reopened last year after the $7.7 million renovation, Pamela Stern was the first person to jump in. On Wednesday, she told CBS2's Jessica Moore, "I'm very pissed."
"I am very, very mad. We fought for this pool to open. It opened last year," she said.
Neither she nor anyone else will be cooling off there this summer.
"Today's announcement is that the pool will not be open for the season," said Westchester County Executive George Latimer.
Latimer said crews filling the pool for next week's planned opening realized the structure wasn't holding water -- literately.
County officials said they went above and beyond to winterize the pool at the end of last season. Even so, somehow over the winter, water started seeping into pipes. When that water froze, the pipes began to crack.
"The project from a year ago was rushed. It needed 12 to 15 months. It was done in an estimated about six months, and it was done with the hope of having the opening announcement July 4th," Latimer said. "We understand why that's a nice thing to do, but it wasn't done properly."
ELQ Industries was the company in charge of the previous rebuild. In a statement, it said, "ELQ Industries, Inc. is diligently working with the County of Westchester and its consultant to determine the cause of the issue at the Sprain Ridge Park Pool."
Those Moore spoke with said they don't care who's to blame. They just want their favorite pool fixed and fast.
"My husband is handicapped. He was looking forward to coming to this pool, because it's closest to where we live," said Sandra Stern.
"I don't know what I'm going to do, because I should not have to leave my city to go to White Plains to go to a pool," Pamela Stern said.
Latimer said the renovation will take at least a year to complete, but he stopped short of promising it will be open next season.
The county is now accepting bids on the new rebuild, with the lowest cost coming in at $6.8 million.
Latimer said the money will come out of the current budget, meaning no additional tax dollars, per say, but the cost will mean other planned projects are sidelined.
He also said he hopes the contractor's insurance company will help offset costs.