The pool at Michael J. Tully park, just reopened in October after extensive repairs to the pool and the recreation facility, will be shut down for 10 days in January to replace or repair a leaking pool liner.
The exact closure dates are yet to be determined, but the pool will likely be closed sometime in mid-January for the repairs, according to a Town of North Hempstead spokesman.
E-mail messages among members of the New Hyde Park civic associations have been saying that the pool was cracked after it was shut down on Nov. 29 and 30.
Town of Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman said the pool was not cracked and had been shut down because of a heating problem in the building.
“We’re still planning on shutting down at some point, which involves replacing the liner and ultimately keep the pool open. Right now there’s moisture getting through the liner, so we’re asking them to either redo it or put a new one in,” Kaiman said.
He criticized residents for spreading misinformation for what he suggested were other reasons.
“It’s just kind of interesting that they’re talking about the pool being shut down. This is not about the pool, it’s about politics,” Kaiman said.
“It’s not people who go to the pool. It’s people who have a personal agenda.”
Kaiman said the town had anticipated having to shutter the building periodically for maintenance work in the wake of a $15 repair and refurbishment of the aquatic center that took 18 months to fix. Myriad problems with the building’s plumbing, rotten wooden window sashes and other issues prolonged the repairs
The repairs will be undertaken by Norberto Contracting, which oversaw the original repairs to the pool and the building, will replace or repair the pool liner at no additional cost, according to Kaiman.
The liner fix will follow a $15 million repair job that kept it closed for 18 months until early October.
Marianna Wohlgemuth, president of the Lakeville Estates Civic Association, said the pool has been “closed more than it’s been open.” She said other residents had told her the pool was cracked, and expressed concern that the underlying landfill that the recreation center and pool were built on is the problem.
“Common sense would tell you that there is sinking going on because of the land that it sits on,” Wohlgemuth said. “The problem is where it sits. I don’t know if there is a solution. The town is probably trying the best that it can. They’re trying their hardest to keep it open.”
New Hyde Park residents can still use the aquatic center through December at no charge.
Kaiman said membership fees for the facility will be revealed at the town council meeting next Tuesday night.
