This is Astoria Park Pool in Queens, NYC. It was built as a WPA project in 1936. Most train guys will recognize the famous structure in the background...
Steven J. Serenska
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
What does it look like today-the pool area ??
It was a little greener in 2009 -
Crank
jim pastorius posted:What does it look like today-the pool area ??
A quick look at Bing Maps show the main pool still active but the diving pool in poor shape. May have just been the time of year for the diving pool. A local might have a better idea.
Attachments
See this link, diving pool converted into plaza. Quick google search
https://www.nycgovparks.org/pl...tracker/project/5960
More up to date link:
2 years to fill in a pool. Where can I get that job?
MartyE posted:2 years to fill in a pool. Where can I get that job?
Correction, Marty: 2 years AND at a cost of $4.36 million.
Yes, I'll take that job, too. It's right up there with Li'l Abner being a "mattress tester"...
Steven J. Serenska
If you read through the history I think the 2 years issue has more to do with fighting and budget issues over the site than any actual work performance.
Also a note that the pool, while huge, is no where near the largest in the US. The largest in the US goes to the Hansen Dam Recreation Center Pool in California. Apparently its around 65k sqft. The largest in the world is in Egypt at over 1 million sqft.
It's pretty clear that the job was scheduled for, and is taking, 2 years. This observation is supported by both the first link you posted and the second. From the first link from the parks system:
Construction
Start Date: November 2017
Projected Completion Date: November 2019
While there may be other issues involved -- and it's quite clear we don't understand the entire story behind why it takes 2 years to fill in a pool -- this does not appear to be an issue of "fighting and budget issues". It truly does appear to be a 2-year construction project.
As "Vanessa" said in the comments section of the second article:
I just don’t understand why it takes two years to “fill in a pool with cement” and making it ready for public. Some high rise buildings take as much as that to built. No wonder why cost is at such a high level.
I think this is the angle MartyE was picking up on. Absent other info, I don't disagree with Marty or "Vanessa". That's a long time to pour gravel and cement in a hole.
SJS
Actually a seven year plan. Design phase started back in 2012.
600k per year for public works project is pretty cheap.
I doubt anybody on this board has any idea of the scope of the project to fill in that pool. There has to be more to it than dumping a bunch of dirt or concrete into it.
Serenska posted:This is Astoria Park Pool in Queens, NYC. It was built as a WPA project in 1936. Most train guys will recognize the famous structure in the background...
Steven J. Serenska
Unfortunately, in the early 1990's. this was one of the NYC municipally owned pools where gangs of predatory young punks would surround, accost and molest young women in an activity nicknamed "whirlpooling".
I don't think it ever regained its reputation as a place to have good, clean fun after that.
All very interesting and impressive to a guy out on the windy high plains. They do things differently in the big city, but it works.
