New Aquatic Center Opens
BY DAN MILLER

Photo Dan Miller/DMD Images Parks and Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe and students from P.S. 15, Springfield Gardens, enjoy the new Olympic-size swimming pool at the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Aquatic Center.

On February 29 Queens Borough President Helen Marshall opened a new $66 million Aquatic Center in Flushing Meadows- Corona Park. Marshall was joined by her predecessor, Claire Shulman, city Department of Parks and Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe, his predecessor Henry Stern, Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski, Deputy Queens Parks Commissioner Estelle Cooper, Deputy Mayor Robert C. Lieber, city Economic Development Corporation President Seth W. Pinsky and EDC Senior Vice President David Kane, USA Pools Corporate President Troy Legg and local community leaders.

The new pool is the first indoor public pool built in New York City in the last 40 years. Competitive high school swimmers, synchronized swimmers, divers, senior citizens and children were on hand to test the water and show the flexibility of the space, which allows competitive and recreational swimming to take place simultaneously. Students from the Townsend Harris H. S. PSAL championship swimming team performed, as did members of the Roy Wilkins Senior Center's Senior Dolphins. Students from P.S. 15, Springfield Gardens, joined Benepe for a swim as the commissioner jumped into the new pool holding hands with some students from borough public schools who have been taking swimming lessons to support the academic training at their schools.

The Townsend Harris H.S. PSAL championship swimming team celebrated the opening of the new aquatic center by participating in a swim race in the new Olympic-size pool. Photo Dan Miller/DMD Images

"This new pool and soon-to-open ice skating rink will fill this building with the sound and laughter and squeals of excitement of thousands of youngsters for generations to come," Marshall said to the standing room audience who attended the grand opening.

Parks Commissioner Benepe added, "Not only have we introduced modern design to public space for the first time in decades, but we have made a world-class swimming facility available to all New Yorkers."

The Flushing Meadows Corona Park Natatorium and Ice Rink building was built in partnership with the Economic Development Corporation. The $66.3 million project was funded and envisioned by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, former Queens Borough President Claire Shulman and former Parks Commissioner Henry J. Stern. Inspired by the 1939 and 1964 World's Fair pavilions, a cable-supported canopy roof is suspended over the 110,000- squarefoot building. Designed as part of the 2012 Olympic bid, the design allows for the walls running the length of the facility to potentially be removed for expansion to a larger venue with a temporary bleacher structure. Like the construction of the Works Progress Administration era, simple materials are used to create stunning architecture. In this case, pre-cast concrete panels are punctuated with color glass tiles to create the exterior and a three-story glass lobby provides a dramatic introduction to the building.

"This building is a feat of architecture and structural engineering, with its elegant and exceptionally efficient cable-stayed roof design; not dissimilar to the construction of the some of the great bridges of the world," Kane said. "Additionally, the way in which the building is sited, with such tremendous views of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park and the grand yet inviting nature of its spaces, is a signal of the city's commitment to design excellence and to the creation of public architecture worthy of our great city."

In 1999, then Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and then Queens Borough President Claire Shulman envisioned a new indoor pool in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. Conceived as an intermediate size pool, it was enlarged to meet Olympic standards and an indoor skating rink was added. Construction of the foundation finished in 2001 during the administration of Parks Commissioner Henry J. Stern, but following 9/11, it was halted due to funding constraints. In 2003, the project was designated part of the city's bid for the 2012 Olympics and Parks partnered with the Economic Development Corporation to implement the new project. A revised design was developed by Handel Architects, LLP in association with Hom & Goldman Architects. On January 17, 2008 Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg delivered his seventh State of the City address from the floor of the ice rink.

The Olympic-sized pool (25 by 50 meters), located on the second floor with dramatic views of the park, meets international standards, is ADA-accessible and features 10 lanes, surge tanks and overflow gutters. Movable bulkheads can configure the pool into three 25- meter swimming areas, allowing for different programming to take place at once. One-third of the pool has a movable floor that can adjust the depth from just a few inches to 7 feet, 4 inches. The middle section is also 7 feet, 4 inches deep and the third section, the diving tank, is 12 feet, 4 inches deep to allow for diving from the pool's three diving boards- two 1-meter and one 3-meter.

A mezzanine bleacher section seats approximately 414 spectators and an adjacent outdoor terrace will feature additional seating. Public locker rooms, toilets and showers are situated on the second level below the seating.

The new Aquatic Center will be operated and staffed by USA Pools, which has an established reputation in the industry and will offer services such as aquatic instruction and added lifesaving training for lifeguards, while saving the city and its tax payers money. "USA Pools is excited about the opportunity to work with the city of New York and the Parks Department as we provide effective pool management, highly trained lifeguards and aquatic programming to the New York Community," USA Pools Corporate President Troy Legg said.

Flushing Meadows Corona Park Aquatic Center will be open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The facility will be closed New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The Aquatic Center will offer a number of innovative free and fee-based programs. City Recreation Center members can participate in free lap swimming and daily Parks programming with discounts on USA Pools programming. Recreation Center membership will cost $75 for adults, $10 for seniors 55 and up, and is free for kids 18 and under.

Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, one of New York City's prized flagship parks, comprises 1,255 acres of beautifully landscaped lawns, lakes, fountains, athletic fields, playgrounds and a zoo. The park is also home to the Queens Museum of Art, Shea Stadium and the Billie Jean King USTA National Tennis Center. Once a dumping ground for ashes, the area was transformed in the 1930s by one-time Parks Commissioner Robert Moses into a site for the 1939 and 1964 World's Fairs. Both of the World's Fairs left behind a number of prominent structures in the park, such as the Queens Theater in the Park, the Unisphere, boathouse, marina, the Hall of Science, the New York State Pavilion and Towers, and Terrace on the Park. The Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Natatorium and Ice Rink is located within the park at Avery Avenue and 131st Street in Flushing.