Thursday, May 14, 2026

Parks Department seeks input on Tompkins recreation-area upgrades

The conversation continues about the design process for a reconstruction project involving the Tompkins Square Park mini-pool, basketball courts and fitness area.

On Saturday morning, Parks officials and local City Councilmember Harvey Epstein are hosting an in-person meeting to discuss the project. (The city took recommendations in January and February.)

The meeting is set for 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Attendees can gather on the Ninth Street walkway near the basketball courts over closer to Avenue B.

Here's an aerial view of the area that will eventually be under construction along 10th Street and Avenue B...
A new petition is circulating asking that Parks remove the fitness area from the scope of work to ensure "the space remains accessible during the pool reconstruction, and direct the money where it will do good instead of doing harm."
The fitness area serves a large community of users, including people of every gender, age, income, race and fitness level, who meet year-round, all-weather, day and night. The equipment is well-known among calisthenics practitioners, and many travel to train there. 
As for the pool... in August 2024, Gov. Hochul announced nearly $150 million in capital grants through the New York Statewide Investment in More Swimming (NY SWIMS) initiative.

As part of that, Tompkins Square Park was awarded $6.1 million for a new in-ground pool, which will double the capacity of the current above-ground trailer park model... as seen last week, waiting for the leaf blower ...
Other areas of the park have undergone renovations... last April, the field house and restrooms reopened after more than 18 months of rehab work. In 2023, reconstruction of the multipurpose courts took place.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think if there going to spend all this money on a new pool I hope it's not just for kids but for all ages other wise just leave it alone and put new benches and repave the walkway all ready me being disabled it be nice to enter the park on level grounds

Anonymous said...

They removed the sprinkler system from behind the bathrooms, so I hope we can get some kind of water feature (for adults as well as kids) to cool off in summer.

Anonymous said...

Maybe invest into nice benches around the park first.

Anonymous said...

i like the shade trees there and that its not on ground level with the rats..

Anonymous said...

The roadway running fron one side of 9th Street to the other is in desperate need of repaving. Someone can easy get hurt and sue sue, sue! It should be included in the budget

Anonymous said...

How long is this proposed project actually going to take? And how does that compare to the previous renovations? I've lived in the East Village for six years, and am I the only one who remembers the ugly scaffolding and fencing that surrounded parts of this park for YEARS? The field house renovation alone was supposed to take 18 months and ended up running closer to two years, with the restrooms shuttered and porta-potties out for even longer than that.

The park is finally in a pleasant state for once. If this new pool project is going to drag on past my next lease and means another multi-year stretch of the park being torn up and in disrepair, I'd honestly rather move to a different part of town. Residents deserve a realistic timeline upfront, not a projected completion date that quietly slips by a year or more.

Anonymous said...

Why can't they do basic, quick, relatively inexpensive maintenance on the rest of the park? Repair benches, repave the asphalt...just basic upkeep (that other parks seem to get)

#DONTEVERCALLMEBRO said...

"involving the Tompkins Square Park mini-pool"

AKA the "cement pond". :)

Anonymous said...

In my opinion, the Tompkins Square Park min-pool should continue to be for children only. Even doubled in size, it will not be a full size pool suitable for adults. The Parks Dept has other nearby outdoor pools for adults, which include lap swimming times, such as the Dry Dock Pool on E. 10th St. between Avenue C & D, the Asser Levy Pool on E. 23rd St., and one of the largest is Hamilton Fish Pool at Pitt St. & Houston. There are indoor pools also. Outdoor pools open June 27th. Check out the Parks Dept site for more details and amenities: https://www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/outdoor-pools