It was a soggy, cool day in Newburgh, but that didn’t stop officials from celebrating the city’s new outdoor aquatic center at Delano-Hitch Recreation Park. The $15 million project includes a six-lane, competition-sized swimming pool; pool house; concession area and splash park complete with fountains, water cannons, and waterfalls.
Before the ribbon cutting, Mayor Torrance Harvey thanked local and state lawmakers for getting the job done.
“Today we celebrate the beautiful, shining results of a shared vision, and a vision, that at one time, might have seemed to be impossible for our children and our families," says Harvey. "The Delano-Hitch Stadium and aquatic center is more than a state-of-the-art facility. It serves as a symbol of what we can accomplish when we can unite together."
Harvey notes the pool comes at no cost to city taxpayers. The entire project was funded by a combination of roughly $7 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, and an $8 million SWIMS grant from New York state. Newburgh was one of several municipalities across New York to get a SWIMS grant last year to upgrade its local swimming facilities.
Plans to renovate the Delano-Hitch pool started before that, however, as the previous pool had not been in use since 2019. Congressman Pat Ryan, a Democrat from the 18th District, was on hand to celebrate the ribbon cutting. He sees it as a good use of the city’s ARPA funds.
“This is one of the most exceptional, I think, selfless, optimistic, hopeful uses of this funding in the country," says Ryan. "And I think it’s really important for folks to appreciate that.”
After some ceremonial first-swims from the Newburgh Sharks Swim Team, the school swim teams, and Mayor Harvey, the pool is open for business. Given the rain, the general consensus from those who jumped in seemed to be, "it's cold" — but the center’s got plenty of sunnier days ahead.
The aquatic center is open Tuesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Labor Day. Season passes and family passes are available in person and on the city’s website, with family passes at reduced rates for city residents. Passes will not available to the general public until June 23.
