Councilmember Ben Kallos and some of the young swimmers who’ll benefit.
(New York, N.Y.) – New York City sports and fitness nonprofit Asphalt Green reopened its Upper East Side Olympic-size swimming pool earlier this month, after a three-week shutdown to install new pool filters for the first time since it opened in 1993.
The eco-friendly, energy-efficient Neptune Benson Defender filters require less maintenance, and keep the water cleaner, filtering 2.6 million gallons per day. New York City Council Member Ben Kallos led the effort to secure City funding for the project, which cost $698,000.
“Council Member Kallos continues to be a valued supporter of Asphalt Green’s mission to help New Yorkers of all ages and backgrounds live active, healthy lifestyles through sports and fitness,” said Maggy Siegel, Executive Director of Asphalt Green. “We are tremendously grateful for the Council’s funding for our new eco-friendly pool filters, which will make our water cleaner for the thousands of children and adults who use our pool each month.”
“Asphalt Green is one of my favorite places on the Upper East Side to exercise, and now it has likely the cleanest pool in all of New York City thanks to the new, state-of-the-art filters and renovation,” said Council Member Ben Kallos, who provided $100,000 and advocated for an additional $513,000 from Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito in discretionary funding for the improvements. “Asphalt Green is one of the unique neighborhood jewels that make the Upper East Side a special place to live, and that is why I am proud of the investment my office made to keep the facility running better than ever for residents and Olympians alike.”
Located in Asphalt Green’s AquaCenter building, the pool is one of Manhattan’s only indoor Olympic-size swimming pools, and it has served 9.1 million New Yorkers over the last 24 years, including Lia Neal, a Brooklyn native who became the first African-American female swimmer to medal at two Olympics.
The 50-meter pool will host a full slate of activities this fall, including practices for AGUA, Asphalt Green’s nationally-competitive youth swim team; the organization’s nationally-acclaimed Waterproofing program, which provides 35 weeks of free swim instruction to 2,800 public school students annually; and swim classes for New Yorkers of all ages, from infants to seniors. For more information about the aquatics programming at Asphalt Green’s Upper East Side campus, visit www.asphaltgreen.org/ues/programs/aquatics/.
About Asphalt Green
Asphalt Green is a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting individuals of all ages and backgrounds achieve health through a lifetime of sports and fitness. Community service is at the core of the organization’s origin and the heart of its mission. A city-wide institution, Asphalt Green has two first class campuses: a beautiful 5½-acre Upper East Side campus and a 52,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility in Battery Park City. Asphalt Green will help more than 33,000 public school children be fit this year through free programs in schoolyards, gymnasiums, and pools across New York City. www.asphaltgreen.org
