Photos by Stacie Joy
Community Board 3's Parks, Recreation, Waterfront, & Resiliency Committee voted Thursday evening to support the most extensive of three proposals to renovate the recreation area in Tompkins Square Park.
The committee backed Option 1, which calls for a new in-ground pool to replace the current mini-pool, renovated basketball courts, replacement of the existing fitness equipment, and a resurfaced recreation area.
The committee also requested that the existing half basketball court near the fitness area along Avenue B be preserved.
The overall project has a $9.93 million budget, including $6.1 million from Gov. Kathy Hochul's NY SWIMS grant program and $3.83 million in city funding. (The new pool funding was announced in August 2024.)
Construction for Option 1 is expected to take approximately 18 months. The second option had a two-year timeline with a phased-in work approach. The third option was to leave the current fitness area as is.
The Oct. 15 vote followed Parks' presentation of three renovation options and a public discussion dominated by concerns from members of the park's calisthenics community.
Longtime users have pushed to preserve the decades-old pull-up bars, parallel bars, and other fitness equipment, questioning whether replacements would offer the same functionality and durability. (Read more about that here.)
Parks officials said they have adjusted the plans in response to those concerns. The department plans to use a 3D scan of the existing fitness area to help recreate its layout. The revised design would also include more pull-up and parallel bars than originally proposed, along with equipment intended to meet accessibility standards.
Those changes have not resolved all the objections.
The committee's vote is a recommendation, not a final decision. The proposal now goes before the full Community Board 3 on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 6:30 p.m. at P.S. 20, 166 Essex St.
Meanwhile, opposition continues ahead of the full board vote. Flyers went up around the park this week objecting to the proposed changes ...
The group asks the board to reject all three renovation options and have Parks develop a less disruptive plan that emphasizes repairs and maintenance.
Flyers posted around Tompkins Square Park this week direct residents to a new website, Save Tompkins Square Park, organized by park users and neighbors.
Under the heading "Repair, don't demolish," the group argues that the existing fitness equipment and basketball courts should be repaired rather than replaced. The organizers support upgrading the pool, improving accessibility and repairing the courts and fitness-area surfaces, but oppose a lengthy closure of the entire recreation area.
The website also raises concerns about the proposed changes to a shaded courtyard used by delivery workers and questions whether the planned reconstruction is necessary.
Organizers are urging residents to contact elected officials, sign a petition that they say has more than 2,600 signatures and attend the Oct. 27 full CB3 meeting.
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