A group of Rockaway leaders is advocating for an indoor pool at Floyd Bennett Field.
Council Member Joann Ariola (D-32) has garnered support from Council Member Selvena Brooks-Powers (D-31), Broad Channel Civic Association President Dan Mundy Jr., the Rockaway Beach Civic Association, Belle Harbor Property Owners Association Executive Director Ed Lynch and Neponsit Property Owners Association President Amanda Agoglia in advocating for an indoor Olympic-sized swimming pool at the airfield.
JBRPC is a philanthropic partner of the National Park Service at Gateway National Recreation Area, supporting the park in its plans to reactivate and transform Floyd Bennett Field into a space for various recreational opportunities among the historical site.
Floyd Bennet Field is a retired airfield located in the Marine Park neighborhood of Brooklyn. The field is in close proximity to the Rockaways, located on the western edge of Jamaica Bay and connecting the Rockaways and Flatbush by the Marine Parkway Bridge. It is a part of the Gateway National Recreation Area, a 27,000-acre park spanning from Sandy Hook, New Jersey, to Breezy Point in Queens. The National Park Service considers the park to be both a gateway from the ocean into New York Harbor and to the National Park Service.
On June 24, Ariola wrote to Terri Carta, executive director of the Jamaica Bay Rockaway Parks Conservancy (JBRPC), asking the JBRPC to include the addition of a pool in any future plans for the airfield. In the letter, Ariola said that adding a pool at the field will address water safety issues caused by a “severe” lack of adequate pool space in the area surrounding Floyd Bennett Field, and provide year-round opportunities for residents.
“An accessible pool could change that, and will very likely save lives as swim classes can be offered to those who otherwise would have to go without. In addition, it can be used as a home pool for many schools in the area, and could even be used as a site for lifeguard training, encouraging more locals to apply without the concern of having to travel far for their tests,” she said.
Ariola added that placing a full Olympic-sized pool at Floyd Bennett Field would have tremendous benefits for Rockaway residents and beyond.
“The ripple effects of placing a full, Olympic-sized swimming pool at Floyd Bennett Field would be enormous and would greatly enhance the quality of life for people in Brooklyn, Rockaway, and beyond. Adding a pool to the plan would fill a huge gap and show that this project is truly committed to serving the people who live here,” she said.
Following the letter,Ariola received statements of support from other officials and community leaders.
“A year-round, Olympic-sized pool at Floyd Bennett Field would be a transformational resource for families in surrounding communities,” said Brooks-Powers. “This is exactly the kind of investment our legislation—Local Law 132—set out to foster: increasing access to swim infrastructure, expanding free swim lessons, and ensuring every community has the tools to stay safe in and around the water. With our neighborhoods surrounded by water and increasingly vulnerable to climate risks, we must prioritize equitable access to pools that promote safety, education, and opportunity.”
Mundy said that the Broad Channel Civic Association supports the idea of a full-sized pool in one of the hangars at Floyd Bennet Field. He added that local swim programs are constantly fighting for pool time, which is becoming less widely available due to issues at city high school swim pools.
“This has threatened the local swim program. It would be wonderful to see such a facility built as an aquatic center for training and learning for all of the children in nearby communities,” he said.
“Such a facility would allow for children to learn basic fundamentals of water, safety, and given the high fatality rate along the Rockaway Shoreline is absolutely necessary,” Mundy added. “In addition, the training time would be fantastic for all of the local teams, and the Aquatic Center facility at Eisenhower Park would be a great model to be considered.”
The Rockaway Beach Civic Association shared that the organization has long advocated for a year-round public pool facility on or in proximity to the Rockaway Peninsula.
“A public pool would serve the surrounding and broader community, supporting vital in-water swim education, lifeguard and other first responder training and certification, a range of recreational and water fitness opportunities, and, at Olympic-size specifications, a prime location for youth and adult swim competitions, adaptive athletic events, and more,” organizers said.
“This would be a huge win for families across the peninsula,” said Lynch. “So many of our kids grow up by the water, but they don’t always have access to proper swim instruction or safe places to practice. An Olympic pool at Floyd Bennett Field could change that. It’s close by, easy to get to, and it would benefit everyone from student athletes to everyday beachgoers. It could also provide a remedy for our lifeguard issues as well, by providing a nearby facility for our young people to train at and get certified. I’m glad Councilwoman Ariola is pushing for this.”
Carta told QNS via email on Monday, Aug. 11, that a swimming pool could be a welcome addition to the facility.
“A swimming pool within the Aviator Sports & Events Complex in Hangars 5-8 and adjacent fields would be a terrific complement to gymnastics, hockey, rock climbing, lacrosse, football, and other sports that have been offered,” Carta said.
Carta emphasized the importance of understanding how a pool could become a reality at the complex. In July, Gateway NRA released a Request for Proposal (RFP) to find a new operator for the Aviator complex. Carta said this presents a “real and immediate opportunity,” as it could lead to a plausible project depending on the selected operator’s plans for the facility. RFP proposals are due to Gateway by Sept. 5 of this year.
Carta added that JBRPC’s work at Floyd Bennett Field is focused on transforming the interiors of Hangars 3 and 4 into a space for community events, food and beverage vendors, visitor amenities, research, and workforce development, based on a decade of input from community leaders, residents, and elected officials.
