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Updated
January 10, 2011
Pool fans make splash on last day
As protesters decry closure of South End facility, Jennings says he's open to more talks
Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Pool-fans-make-splash-on-last-day-928525.php#ixzz1Ah7mjyLb
By Stephanie Lee Staff Writer
Printed in the Times Union - Updated:10:17 p.m., Thursday, December 30, 2010http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Protestors-end-rally-at-doomed-Albany-bath-house-928525.php
At Albany's Public Bath No. 2, people fill the ramp leading up to the entrance, as community organizers and residents of Albany's South End conduct a sit-in on Thursday, the last day the bath house was open. The group wanted to talk with Mayor Jerry Jerrings before leaving, but in the end settled for a future meeting with the mayor to discuss ways to re-open the bath house. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union)
Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Pool-fans-make-splash-on-last-day-928525.php#ixzz1Ah7b92lB
ALBANY -- The swimmers have hung up their towels.
Public Bath No. 2, the 105-year-old public pool in the South End, got a noisy farewell on Thursday when a dozen protesters stayed put an hour after the city closed it for the foreseeable future.
The closure of the pool, located on Fourth Avenue in the heart of a largely low-income, minority neighborhood, ignited debate about race and class. Albany's Recreation Department said the closure was necessary because of budget cuts.
The last swimmer to leave, Sue Cerniglia, a 58-year-old East Greenbush resident, said she was sorry to say goodbye to the pool.
"I don't know why they didn't do more publicity to get people to come down here," she said, her gray hair slick after two hours of doing the backstroke. "It's a beautiful pool in a good location. I would have been here three times a week."
Around Cerniglia, bath boosters were singing songs and holding signs that read "We (Heart) Our Pool" and "First Our YMCA, Now Our Bath House. Jennings, Stop Stealing Our Treasures."
The mayor's office told Jacqui Williams, who helped organize supporters, that the group should submit their demands in writing. The mayor promised to discuss their concerns in the next few weeks.
The group wants the city to restore the bath's funding, conduct an engineering and architectural review to determine the costs of repairs to make the building energy-efficient and seek research grants in partnership with the Historic Albany Foundation.
The group is also calling for the mayor and Common Council to "inform and listen more respectfully to the community."
"I think the response unfortunately goes along with what's been happening to the pool," said Williams, 57, a South End resident. "It's been neglected, it's been overlooked."
Jennings, who said he expects to receive the engineers' report in January, pointed out that the bath has "been there for years and years."
"I'll work with whoever has recommendations and that type of thing, but it was not a difficult decision to close it in these tough financial times because of lack of usage," he said. "If we are going to create something, I want people to take responsibility for it and make sure it's successful."
The bath's roughly $225,000 annual operating costs represented a figurative drop in the bucket of Albany's estimated $23 million budget deficit next year but became the main budget battleground.
Supporters of the facility -- which the city said drew an average of just 19 swimmers daily, many of them not from the city -- convinced enough Common Council members to restore funding for the pool to the city budget, prompting Jennings to wield the first veto of his 17-year tenure in City Hall.
The council fell two votes short of overriding Jennings' veto Dec. 20.
To make up for the loss of the bath, the Arbor Hill Community Center will expand its hours, staying open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Stephanie Lee can be reached at 454-5057 or slee@timesunion.com.
Supporters of Albany's Public Bath No. 2 rally at the building on Thursday, protesting its closing. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union)
Jacqui Williams, a community organizer and resident of Albany's South End, talks on the phone with a representative from Mayor Jerry Jennings' office during a rally at the City's Public Bath No. 2 on Thursday. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union (Paul Buckowski)
Adults and children take a last swim in the Public Bath No. 2 in Albany on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2010, the last day the bath was open. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union (Paul Buckowski)
Sue Cerniglia, from East Greenbush, enjoys her last swim in the Public Bath No. 2 in Albany on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2010, the last day the bath was open. Cerniglia said that she just found out about the bath house two months ago when a friend was talking about the bath closing. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union
A sign put up by protestors is seen in the lobby as community organizers and residents of Albany's South End held a sit-in at the City's Public Bath No. 2 on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2010. The group wanted to talk with Mayor Jery Jennings before leaving, but in the end settled for a future meeting to discuss ways to re-open the bath house. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union)
