Citing Poor Construction, Sprain Ridge Pool Is Closed For Season

WHITE PLAINS, NY — Westchester County will be down one pool during the 2018 summer season. The county Department of Public Works has deemed the Sprain Ridge activity pool not structurally sound to open. Along with the activity pool, the county Parks Department will also keep the spray deck and bath house closed for the season.

County employees have begun addressing the structural issues with the activity pool and will begin work on the new recreation/competition pool in July.

County Executive George Latimer said the construction of the pool was rushed and the end product shows it.

“The reality is that this pool should not have been opened,” he said. “It should have been checked and double-checked to make sure it was in proper working order before it opened.”

Latimer said the county will take the proper amount of time needed to fix the activity pool and construct the recreation/competition pool property.

The main concern is ruptured pipes found underground during the procedure to fill the pool for the season, county officials said.

When construction began, it was determined that the existing pool pipes were made with asbestos and that the soil was unsuitable to hold the structure.

The work was done with such haste that the pool was not properly constructed and materials didn’t have enough time to cure.

Officials said a pool of that size usually takes 12 to 15 months from demolition to opening. Sprain Ridge activity pool was completed in six months.

County officials said the rush job was done under pressure from the Astorino administration to open the pool for the 2017 season. Also, the extreme weather condition of 2017-18 exacerbated the issues.

There was no immediate response to a request for a comment from former County Executive Robert Astorino.

Parks Commissioner Kathy O’Connor said camps that had gone to the Sprain Ridge Pool last year will be accommodated at Saxon Woods Pool in White Plains. The Family Fun Day scheduled for Sprain Ridge Pool on Saturday, July 7 will be held at Tibbetts Brook Pool also in Yonkers.

Both pools and the spray deck at Sprain Ridge are set to open for the 2019 summer season.

Photo credit: Google Maps.