The pool where generations of Deer Park kids learned to swim is coming back. New York State will put $3 million into rebuilding the Deer Park High School Aquatic Center, Governor Kathy Hochul announced on October 29, and the rebuilt pool will be designed so residents with disabilities can use it too.

The aquatic center has been closed to the public for safety reasons after nearly 50 years of continuous use left it badly deteriorated, according to the state.

What the rebuild includes

The project adds features that meet the Americans with Disabilities Act: accessible lifts into the pool, stair upgrades and accessible locker rooms. The state describes the center as a resource for hundreds of families, including Deer Park students, residents and people from neighboring communities in western Suffolk.

Deer Park Superintendent James Cummings and Board of Education President Donna Elliott thanked the state on behalf of the district and said the pool serves students, people with disabilities and seniors, with swim lessons, lifeguard training and lifesaving skills among its uses. Babylon Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer, whose town includes Deer Park, called the pool the place where local kids learned to swim and families came together.

Suffolk County Legislator Tom Donnelly and State Senator Monica Martinez, who represents the area, also backed the project.

Part of a six-project package

The Deer Park award was one of six capital grants for Long Island organizations announced together, totaling nearly $13 million. The others: $3 million for Long Island Select Healthcare in Central Islip, $3 million for the Cerebral Palsy Association of Nassau County in Roosevelt, $1.5 million for Island Harvest Food Bank's headquarters in Melville, $1 million for radios for the Village of Hempstead Volunteer Fire Department, and $1 million for field improvements for the Bay Shore-Brightwaters Little League.

When it reopens

The state's announcement did not give a construction timeline or a reopening date. The Deer Park Union Free School District will post updates on the project, including when the pool returns to community use, on its website.

Questions about the aquatic center and community swim programs go to the district office.

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