Making a Splash: Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park Pool Open for All

Making a Splash:Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park Pool Open for All

By Erin Crotty, Senior Vice President, CHA Consulting, Inc.

New York State is home to some of the most beautiful state parks in the U.S. These parks play a significant role in creating a love of the outdoors, promoting recreation and active lifestyles, and providing opportunities for families to strengthen their bonds and make memories that will last a lifetime. The pandemic has shown us just how important public green space is for the mental and physical wellbeing of our communities.

Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park—located just 40 minutes north of NYC—is no exception. The park offers picnic areas, fishing and boating, basketball courts and a soccer field, and, most notably, its pool. Twice the size of an Olympic pool, FDR’s bathing haven can accommodate 3,500 swimmers at a time!

Unsurprisingly, this access to nature—and the ability to cool off—so close to the city has made the park a haven for many during the warmer months. But the pool, which was built in the 1960s, was in dire need of restoration to continue welcoming patrons safely, especially those with different mobility needs. While the pool and its support facilities (restrooms, bathhouses, etc.) were in dire need of updating, there was a concern that restoration of the pool would close this important public resource when it was most needed by the community.

That’s where CHA Consulting, Inc. (CHA) came in. To avoid missing a swimming season and disappointing the thousands of annual visitors to the park and pool, CHA worked diligently with park partners to find a way to do a very unusual thing: rehabilitate the pool and facilities in the winter months. (For those familiar with northeast winters, you know this is no easy task!)

Immediately after closing the pool to the public on August 17, 2020, CHA started work. Rebuilding a pool of this size—nearly two times larger than an Olympic-size pool—in cold weather required some serious planning and problem solving. The ground and concrete needed to be heated to prevent cracking as the pool and surrounding areas were assembled and sealed. CHA needed to dig down 15- to 18-feet in cold and sometimes frozen ground to install large 24-inch pipes, weighing upwards of 1,500 lbs. In order to ensure the pool would be ready for the thousands of patrons who use it every year, workers labored day and night.

To ensure the pool served the whole community, including those with disabilities, a new zero-entry pool section was built, including 26 colorful water spray features. New stairs, an ADA ramp, and a new ADA-compliant restroom building were added to ensure the pool provided respite from the heat for all visitors.

The pool reopened on schedule for the 2021 swimming season in June of last year, with new on-site facilities including restrooms, renovated concessions, and a first aid pavilion. The updated pool has been heralded by visitors, community leaders, and state officials alike, and is recognized as an important resource for residents of Westchester County and NYC alike.

CHA was grateful to be part of such an important project for NYS communities.Summer days spent at the Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park Pool are fondly remembered, and CHA is proud to be part of the pool’s history, and future—especially affording joy to children and adults of all abilities.

CHA Consulting, Inc. (CHA) is an innovative, full-service engineering consulting and construction management firm delivering sustainable, integrated solutions to the world’s most challenging infrastructure projects. The company, headquartered in Albany, New York, is a strong advocate for New York’s public green spaces, has been a long-time supporter of Parks & Trails New York—and a Champion sponsor of I Love My Park Day for the past two years.