Demolition has begun on the existing pool at the Delano-Hitch Recreation Park in Newburgh where a new $11 million aquatic center is set to be built. The 27-acre park was donated to the City of Newburgh by Annie Delano-Hitch in 1916. She was an aunt of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
The old aquatic center at the park was closed in 2020 for renovations and has remained closed since then. The city’s recreation department has offered water slides a couple of days a week over the summer for children to use while the pool has been closed.
The city is drawing on federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to help pay for the new aquatic center, which is expected to be open for the summer of 2025.
Jason Morris, Newburgh’s city engineer and commissioner of public works, said that the new center will include: 9,000 square feet of splash pad area; a 78 feet long by 50 feet wide pool with an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant entry ramp; and a 5,500 square foot ADA compliant pool house with reception area, changing rooms, bathrooms, showers, concession stand, security office, a first-aid room and a mechanical room. There also would be a 14,000-square-foot pool deck with lounge chairs, shade structures and tables.
Morris said that a newly constructed parking area would have 74 spaces.
“Let’s get this thing going,” Newburgh’s Mayor Torrance Harvey said just before shovels were lifted for the ceremonial groundbreaking on Sept. 6. “It is going to be something we are all as City of Newburgh residents and stakeholders proud of. Our kids, our families are going to love and enjoy this for generations and generations to come. This is a historical moment. Please relish it, please cherish it and know and understand that our city government is revitalizing our city for the 21st century.”
The splash pad area, which does not require lifeguards to be present, is designed so that it can be in use even when the pool is not being used. The splash pad will offer more than two-dozen water features and will use recirculating water with a holding tank of more than 3,000 gallons. There would be a filter system and an ultraviolet lamp to help ensure clean water.
