Bed-Stuy YMCA Pool is going down the drain.

urbanexplorer

Can anyone please recommend a decent local pool to lap swim in?

I'm currently a member at the Bed-Stuy YMCA but the pool is closed for emergency repairs until 5/2/11. The price is right but the service and facilities has been following a downward spiral as of late.

It used to be a four lane pool which always worked out well as two lanes could be devoted to swim lessons, water aerobics, free swim etc. leaving the other two lanes divided amongst fast and slow lap swimmers but three weeks ago one of lane line dividers broke and they have decided to divide the pool into thirds giving two-thirds of the pool over to lessons, class etc. and cramming all the fast and slow lap swimmers into the remaining one-third share which means no one can swim fast if you have more than two slow lap swimmers in the pool at a time, ie all the time.

The only toilet in the Men's locker room was out-of-order for a week as well as the swim suit dryer, the smell of moldy wet suits hanging in lockers has become less than delightful. The pool's temperature is supposed to be kept at 83 to 84 degrees but at least once a week someone forgets to check it and it climbs to over 91 degrees which makes a rigorous mile long lap swim work out about as pleasant as a marathon run in a heat wave. I have brought these complaints up to management which has yielded no resolution.

If anyone can recommend a reasonably clean, 25 yard long pool with at least one lap lane dedicated to fast/medium swimmers kept at a non sweltering temperature, I would be very grateful.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

homeowner

Try St. John's Rec center. It's a Parks Department facility so its only $75 for the year and its the closest other pool to Bed-Stuy. If you search on the Crown Heights boards there are a number of threads with details about the facility. If I'm not mistaken the membership fee also allows you to use all other Parks & Rec facilities in the city.

tropicalproducts

Bed-Stuy pool never had decent lap lane hours to begin with. I take the short subway ride to the Dodge YMCA on Atlantic, a much better facility all around.