East Bathhouse swimming pool at Jones Beach reopens after 17 years

State officials opened a $100 million renovation of the East Bathhouse swimming pool at Jones Beach on Friday, reopening the pool for the first time in 17 years.

Gov. Kathy Hochul attended the ribbon cutting on Friday for the accessible pool and splash pads and "spraygrounds" aimed at teaching kids to swim and preventing drownings.

State parks officials, along with union labor and the state Department of General Services began work on the project two years ago, renovating the 1929 bathhouse first opened by then Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The pool fell into disrepair and closed in 2009, following the recession and remained closed until officials announced the two-year project as part of Hochul’s efforts to increase swimming lessons and outdoor activities.

The pool will be open seven days per week during the summer and will include free swimming lessons for every child statewide under the age of 12.

"It's especially designed for all people, people of all ages and abilities, to be able to get into the water, not just cool off, but actually learn to swim," Hochul said. "This is part of our New York Swims initiative, one of the most ambitious investments into swimming in our entire state's history."

Drowning is the leading cause of death for children between ages 1 and 4 and the second leading cause of death for children between ages 5 and 14, said Bobby Hazen, co-founder of the New York Water Safety Coalition.

There have been 26 drownings this year statewide in New York and 800 drownings nationwide, Hazen said. More than 20% of those have been children under age 12, he said. More than half of adults also do not know how to swim, Hazen said.

Richard Specht, 51, of Sound Beach lost his 22-month-old son to an accidental drowning in 2012. The death prompted Specht to launch his group, the ReeSpect Life Foundation, to spread awareness of water safety.

"After my son passed, I realized there were things that I simply didn't know about water safety and drowning prevention," Specht said. "Had I been armed with that knowledge previously, my son would have been here, and it was really my ignorance that took him from us."

Facilities like the East Bathhouse that teach children how to swim and respect the water will help prevent future drownings, Specht said.

Advocates said supervision also is key, to make sure children are being watched at all times without distractions.

"The more we have places like this where kids are getting that information and getting that knowledge, anything we can do to get the word out is going to make a difference," Specht said.

Renovations of the bathhouse near Filed 6 include maintaining the original oceanfront façade, made of Barbizon Brick, Ohio sandstone and woodwork and tile mosaics, while workers transformed a modern pool and locker rooms. The 125-foot by 75-foot pool has an accessible zero-entry wading area, which leads down to lifeguard monitored lap swimming less than 5-feet deep.

The project also included renovations to the North and South bathhouse, including changing rooms, bathrooms, first aid and concessions areas.

The East Bathhouse is open through Labor Day from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends and holidays and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children. Swimming lessons begin Wednesday for infants to children up to 15. Adult swimming lessons also are available.