When Myrtha Comes to Town: Meeting Notes
Attending @ Downtown Brooklyn Partnership:
Matteo Bazzaro, Myrtha Pools (matteo.bazzaro@myrthapools.com)
Jon Cleveland, Myrtha Pools (jon.cleveland@myrthapools.com)
Matthew McKay, Myrtha Pools (Matthew.McKay@myrthapools.com)
Meta Brunzema, Collective for Community, Culture and Environment (mbrunzema@collectiveforcce.com)
Mark Koganov, LEN / FINA referee (mark294@aol.com)
Kate Krause, Rising Tide Effect / NY Water Safety Commission (kate@risingtideeffect.org)
Michael Randazzo, Inclusive Community Wellness (community.wellness.nyc@gmail.com)
On Zoom:
Nora Cronin, Plus Pool
Mark Ferro
Peter Kohnstamm
Carl Quigley
Heidi Reiss, NY Water Safety Commission
Nan Richardson, The Harbor School
Steve Rimkunas, Rimkunas Engineering
Alex Stachelberg, The Harbor School
Perry Williams
Summary:
The meeting, hosted by Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, provided many reasons for optimism. The NY SWIMS initiative is a tremendous opportunity to bring a high-quality, Olympic-style pool—anchored to an underserved community—that will boost NYC’s aquatic culture. Having Myrtha Pool representatives meet with select aquatic advocates was an important step to determine how to move this major idea forward.
Main takeaway: Myrtha plans to be in the NYC market for years to come; in fact, they are focused on sustainability—both in rebuilding NYC pool infrastructure but also in the core mission of getting more children and adults safely in the water. Many ideas were discussed, and the session ended on the idea of not just one pool now but to develop a strategic plan for multiple pools, creating a sustainable aquatic culture.
NYC City Council Supports Aquatic Change
Council Member Shekar Krishnan’s Five Point Plan for improving aquatics in New York City; in March CM Krishnan gathered supporters at City Hall on how to make swimming / water safety more accessible in The Big Apple. Key takeaways: extending NYC Parks outdoor pool schedule past the traditional Labor Day end-of-season date.
Light at End of Tunnel for NYC Lifeguard Crisis?
NYC Parks needs to be the lead organization ensuring that there’s enough lifeguards manning the City’s public pools and beaches and there’s positive news in the long-term labor fight. The vision issue is noteworthy; prospects to be city lifeguards are rejected because of glasses; the new requirement is a tiered vision requirement that allows for 20/70 uncorrected vision in each eye, with 20/30 in one eye, 20/40 in the other eye with corrective lenses
NY SWIMS; what funding is available and to access it? (M. Brunzema)
Governor Hochul has allocated money FY 2024-25 for new pools of all sorts in NY state
A state-wide project so money is earmarked for outside NYC in communities that need the support
Program is designed for groups in partnership with municipalities to apply
If it’s to be in NYC, would require the city’s commitment to a specific site
Two-step selection process; site must be a community in need—determined by economics, pool availability
No cap on the grant and it can pay for up to 80% of maximum project cost; municipality covers the rest
Additional funding can be from grants or federal government
No funding for operational expenses
Link to website for more information
Presentation from Myrtha (M. Bazzaro, J. Cleveland, M. McKay)
Olympic trial pools, Olympic competition a “very small part” of what Myrtha Pools does
Important to start at the beginning; teach kids to love swimming and eliminate fear
South Korea; instituted a nation-wide learn-to-swim program after the Sewol ferry disaster that saw 250 students die by drowning
Refurbish old pools / build new pools so more children can be taught the lifesaving skill of swimming
Problem with the pools built in the Northeast the last 50 years—cheaper builds popular but don’t last
High maintenance costs creates the impression pools are a burden on communities
Lucas Oil Stadium; three pools for US Olympic Trials; all will go to deserving communities; one to Fort Wayne, IN and the main pool will go to Cayman Islands for a learn-to-swim center
12 Myrtha Pools in Paris; only one is permanent. The rest will be installed in Parisian neighborhoods—again to promote swimming
Same thing happened after Tokyo Olympics, some of those pools were sent to Fukuoka for the 2023 World Aquatics Championships; don’t build new; reuse
Trend in Europe is to fix existing pools rather than building new; 60% renovate, 40% new pools
What Myrtha does in the US is a fraction of what they do in Europe; company’s strength is innovative technology – can lower the cost of repairing NYC pools, create a sustainable future for NYC swimming
Can resurface / renovate existing pools in a fraction of the time it takes to build new: “Bathfitters”
NYC has a lot of great pools 50 – 100 years old that were built right but need to be maintained
NYC does have many pools; the issue is bringing those sites up to “useable standards”
Bring Myrtha’s knowledge base to NYC; rebuild / create pools that support learn-to-swim / bring communities together in a healthy, supportive way
Create a support structure for NYC to get all its pools open / serving their communities
They are here to understand what the city needs / respond to site-specific circumstances
Technology is sustainable; pool built in Long Beach parking lot is still in use 20 years later
M. Koganov: two outdoor pools built in a parking lot for 2015 World Aquatics Championships are still in use nine years later; these pools were meant to be temporary
Work together to produce high-quality aquatic athletes like Betsey Armstrong, Lia Neal and Wolf Wigo
NYC Socioeconomic Factors (K. Krause / M. Brunzema)
K. Krause: member of the New York Water Safety Commission; better understanding of what’s happening throughout the state with many pools going off-line
1 in 4 NYC children can’t swim; NYC City Council is all over this issue
In the Rockaways, surprising how little public pool access exists; Far Rockaway High School pool just coming back online; for three years parents + educators have been advocating for another public pool
How many people can a Myrtha Pool serve? Their products are best solution for community needs
25th City Council District in Jackson Heights; no public swimming pools or parks
Recent CDC report on rise of drowning deaths <link>; NYC is a city surrounded by water
Element of racism that’s an important consideration in American aquatic history; pools were segregated for much of the 20th Century
NY SWIMS is specifically targeting underserved communities; a racial justice focus
Connect with a senior community that wants to swim; City Council has detailed maps of all communities by demographics. This GIS data could have strategic benefit to map all age groups in NYC and overlaying this onto specific council districts
Aligning stakeholders will be key for achieving success with NY SWIMS; likely need NYC Parks, many politicians on board
List of Potential Sites / Partners - Comments
Brooklyn Bridge Park
Did a detailed study; here’s a link to the research
The prospective site is controlled by NYC Parks; this makes it a municipal site and easier to get NY SWIMS funding
NYC Parks & Recreation (C. Quigley)
Don't just focus on existing WPA pool sites; think about an underserved community that needs access to a pool and locate a Myrtha Pool there
Super important to network with Sue Donoghue, NYC Parks Commissioner
Parks has to be looking at NY SWIMS program; what are they planning to do?
Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Martin Maher has been briefed on ideas for a Myrtha Pool
One proposal could be to temporarily install a Myrtha Pool by NYC Parks facility in Flushing Meadows. It’s slated to be closed for three years due to roof repairs
Red Hook / other WPA sites remain attractive because a two- three-month usage timeline can be expanded to year-round
Governors Island (N. Richardson, A. Stachelberg)
There’s 173 acres on the island; where would a pool go? Perhaps the Center for Climate Solutions to be completed in 2028. It’s run by a consortium of many universities
The center could host a large pool; they have the funding and should have the acreage
Currently in design development under the greenest of all building standards
Get Mayor Adams + Governor Hochul on board; they can influence the vote and it’s a park that’s under federal, state and city jurisdiction—all good for NY SWIMS
The Harbor School; seeking an underwater classroom – an essential component to learning
One of first NYC high schools to subscribe to DOE Diversity in Admissions plan
Six-year fight for six-lane, 25 yard pool in a new building; tradeoff for passing ULURP for GI
GI is “complicated to deal with;” board is made up of a whole range of people, including a lot of developers
Many THS students come to school not knowing how to swim
THS pool will have some community access but it’s primarily for school use – DOE controls pool; probably won’t be community friendly
Brooklyn Navy Yard
Building 293; super attractive; Myrtha could put a pool in there in two weeks
TNY is controlled by the EDC; different entity than NYC Parks - might make it easier to push a pool through
Far Rockaway Sites: National Grid Plant + Private Land (K. Krause)
Private site; would serve three different school buildings which contain multiple schools
Far Rockaway is just a bus ride away; accessible to high-need, underserved population
Bay side – hurricanes will not have such impact
Could get to this site from anywhere by ferry, subway—but it’s not convenient
Rockaways combines affluent and underserved populace but a lot of kids there don’t swim
FINAL THOUGHTS: Go Big or Go Home!
Meta; we’re a city of 8+ million people; why are we focusing on only one pool? Ask for many and then you might get one
Think about the Bronx; they’re desperate for public pools; but lots of underserved communities in NYC
A long-term study is needed to evaluate what currently exists in NYC and then predict what pools will / won’t be operational in five years
Appeal to NYC’s pride; why doesn’t The Big Apple have an aquatic showcase?
Matteo: need a long-term strategy, which is what Myrtha has done in other countries. If we say 20 are needed in five years, how many are new and how many are refurbished? Which are high-performance and which are strictly for swim / water safety instruction?
Myrtha can be a direct supporter of this effort / assist and advise on long-term (five year) planning
Myrtha is a knowledge hub for best practices; this experience can inform what NYC does next
DO NOW: get all interested parties to sign off on a concrete proposal for a new pool for NYC