Residents rally to reopen Morley pool

County closed facilities due to need for repairs, community fights to get funds allocated

BY CAMERYN OAKES

Christopher Morley Park pool is not just any place, Weihua Yan said. It is the place where children in the community learn to swim, where they make lasting memories, where families and religious groups gather and where seniors exercise and socialize.

But with the pool closed for the foreseeable future, Yan said the the community is losing the valuable attributes it offers Roslyn and the entire North Shore.

The pool, which Yan described as a “cherished haven,” was closed by the Nassau County Parks Administration because it needs repairs and the county has not funded them.

Yan, founder of North Shore Residents for Reopening, held a rally Tuesday afternoon in front of the pool’s locked gate to advocate alongside other concerned residents for the pool’s reopening.

“I will not stand by while this great place is to be closed,” Yan said. “I’ll work tirelessly as an advocate to make sure we preserve this and keep this pool open.”

Rally speakers included Yan, Nassau County Legislator Delia DeRiggiWhitton (D-Glen Cove) and multiple Manhasset residents who utilized the pool.

All speakers spoke with a common consensus: that Christopher Morley Park Pool is an integral part of the community.

Manhasset resident Jerie Gross said that she has been frequenting the pool since she was a child.

She said the closure of the pool strips away the privileges of outdoor activities and play that it offers other children, leading them into negative habits like social media instead.

“We’re closing these avenues for our kids to have outlets,” Gross said.

“We’re just, you know, feeding more into the negative masses that are out there.”

She said the closure of the pool brings deep sadness to her as it represents the heart of the North Shore.

“It’s like taking a heart of a human,” Gross said. “You’re lifeless in doing this.”

Desiree Woodson said that the pool’s closure is especially detrimental to underprivileged community members who don’t have other means to access cooling relief during the hot summer months.

“How important this pool is to so many people, especially those as we mentioned that might live in the minority,” DeRiggi-Whitton said. “It serves an incredibly important purpose for our area.”

Woodson pointed out that the park is located along a Nassau County bus line, allowing access for families who do not have their own vehicles.

With the reason for the pool’s closure attributed to a lack of funding, many of the speakers said it was absurd that approximately $6 million to repair the pool could not be parsed out from the county’s $3.2 billion budget.

“We have the funds, let’s just do the right thing,” Woodson said. “Get Continued on Page 46

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