City pool, ‘splash pad’ will be open this summer
Closed last year summer because of the coronavirus pandemic, the city’s Andretta Pool will open for the season on Saturday, June 19, and its use will be free to the public, the mayor’s office announced Friday.
The pool, on the same property as Dietz Stadium in Uptown Kingston, also will be getting a new “splash pad,” a 30-foot circular space with a high shower dome, arch jets, spray rings and other fountain-like features.
Construction of the splash pad is to begin April 1 and be completed by the end of May, Noble’s office said.
Additionally, interior fencing at the site will be removed, allowing for easy access between the pool, splash pad and picnic area, and perimeter fencing for the entire pool facility will be replaced with black vinyl-coated fencing.
“Not only are we reopening one of the city’s most popular amenities, but we’re finally unveiling the new splash pad,” Lynsey Timbrouck, the city’s director of recreation, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled that the community will
be able to enjoy the pool with a new and exciting enhancement.”
The city also said Kingston Point Beach will open Wednesday, June 16, with many of the same COVID-19 restrictions that were in place there in 2020.
The announcement that the Andretta Pool will be open this summer came one day after the city said its summer parks and recreation programs will operate this year after being canceled last year due to COVID.
Even though the Andretta Pool did not open last year, the city used money from the Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant is received from the state to make improvements to both the pool and the adjacent pool house.
The work included a new roof and masonry repairs for the building, plus a new pump and filtration system for the pool, as well as the restoration of its liner.
Engineering consultants now are drafting plans for interior improvements to the pool house.