New Public Indoor Pool To Make A $40M Splash In Southeast Queens

QUEENS — The city is installing a competition-sized indoor pool in St. Albans, as well as repairing the neighborhood’s existing pool, the Parks and Recreation Department announced this week.

The city will start the design for the $40 million pool in Roy Wilkins Park in 2024. The addition is part of the new recreation center at the park, which was announced in December 2021, and will offer New Yorkers swimming classes.

Another $15 million will go toward repairing the park’s existing pool.

"After decades of systemic disinvestment, the children and families of Southeast Queens deserve nothing less than state-of-the-art community facilities,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr.

“This space will be more than just a place where our kids can learn to swim and our residents can cool off in the summer - it will be a holistic investment in the overall health of the surrounding community,” he added.

The 35,000-square-foot recreation center, located on Merrick Boulevard between 116th Avenue and Baisley Boulevard, will include a gym and fitness rooms.

Queens has two indoor pools, including one in St. Albans and another at the recently-reopened Flushing Meadows Corona Park Aquatics Center.

The announcement comes after the Parks Department announced that the pool at Astoria Park would be closed for the summer season this year, with an expected 2024 reopening.