On Thursday, officials celebrated the completion of the $25 million rehabilitation of the historic Lincoln Park Pool in Albany's South End.
Lincoln Park was established as Albany's first public playground in 1900. Its centerpiece swimming pool opened July 4th, 1931. But the pool leaked since the day it was built, and in its last decade of operation it was losing up to 500,000 gallons of water a day. It was also rife with drainage and filtration issues.
The city took the first steps to reimagine the pool in September 2018, followed by several public-input sessions and community meetings, leading up to this: "Good afternoon, everyone. No more stinkin' Lincoln, huh? Thanks to Mayor Sheehan," said Albany's Commissioner of the Department of Recreation, Youth and Workforce Services, Jonathan Jones, who on Thursday joined Mayor Kathy Sheehan and a host of elected officials for opening day at the new Lincoln Park Pool, which has undergone a $25 million dollar transformation.
The renovated facility includes a half Olympic-style lap pool, a splash pad, and upgraded restrooms.
While a mix of funding sources paid for the project, $10 million came as part of Governor Kathy Hochul’s New York Statewide Investment In More Swimming initiative, which provided $150 million to 37 pools across New York last year.
Mayor Sheehan said the pool renovations were only possible thanks to the SWIMS initiative, which also addresses equity gaps by providing recreational opportunities, and supports communities across the state with resources to combat extreme heat.
"I had no idea how we were going to pay for it. But I knew, with a great idea and a commitment to the community that suffered from the injustices of decades and decades of racism, bigotry and neglect, that we, in Kathy Hochul, had a governor who understood that when you want to rebuild those communities, you need to put your money behind it,” said Sheehan.
The SWIMS initiative is also helping to support planned renovations at Troy’s Knickerbacker pool, which broke ground earlier this week
108th district Assemblymember John McDonald was in Troy earlier in the week before helping Albany cut the ribbon at Lincoln Park Thursday. "We kicked off the groundbreaking of another SWIMS grant in the city of Troy, Knickerbacker Park, but to the form of the city of Albany. We're not talking about getting things started. We're talking about getting things done," McDonald said.
The Knickerbacker pool, which had closed in 2016, is now destined to become an aquatic center with a 7,500-square-foot pool, a splash pad, and new bath house. That project is being supported by $5.8 million in SWIMS funding.
After the ceremonial ribbon-cutting in Albany Thursday, Sheehan took a ride on Lincoln Park’s new waterslide, celebrating one of her marquee achievements as she winds down her third and final term.
Albany City Treasurer Darius Shahinfar said Mayor Sheehan deserves credit.
"She'll refute anyone who dare even suggest that we name this pool after her, or anything else in the city after her, because it's not the person she is. But to be a leader, you have to be able to see a challenge and tackle it head on, putting everything ahead of your own ego. And that's exactly what Mayor Sheehan is. She's a leader who sees a challenge and a need and takes it head on," he said.
