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Read the press release here.

Park Avenue Dumpster Pools Set to Open This Weekend

Security guard Marko Dojcinovic, 27, watches over the pools Friday.
Security guard Marko Dojcinovic, 27, watches over the pools Friday.
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DNAinfo/Della Hasselle

By Della Hasselle

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

MIDTOWN EAST — Manhattanites will have the chance to take a dip in a Dumpster this Saturday.

As part of the city’s Summer Streets program, three bright red containers will be converted into public swimming pools on Park Avenue between 40th and 41st street over three consecutive Saturdays in August, bringing a new scene to the office-heavy strip.

The Dumpster pools, provided by the development company Macro Sea, are approximately 8 feet wide, 22 feet long and between 3 to 5 1/2 feet deep.

“The pools were an underground sensation in Brooklyn last year,” read a message on the Summer Streets website. “Macro Sea is now excited to share them with all New Yorkers as a part of Summer Streets.”

The three Dumpsters, which have rubber decks, are located on Park Avenue between 40th and 41st streets.
The three Dumpsters, which have rubber decks, are located on Park Avenue between 40th and 41st streets.
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DNAinfo/Della Hasselle

City workers were busy Friday morning testing the pools’ filtration systems and preparing the Dumpsters, which sit on the east side of the Pershing Square overpass near Grand Central Terminal.

The Dumpsters — which have never been used for holding trash — are perfectly safe, city officials said.

The Health Department has checked the pools, as have electricians and security guards, DOT electrician John Betandourt said Friday.

“I’m all for it,” Betandourt, 54, added. “It’s fun, it’s cool water, it’s great for the kids. I think I’m going to tell my daughter to come tomorrow.”

Still, some onlookers were skeptical of the three-week addition to the Midtown stretch.

“I like the concept, but I’m not sure that this is the right site for it, realistically speaking,” said Upper East Side resident Joe Kundrat, 48.

Other New Yorkers had a few suggestions on how to make the pools more appealing.

“It’s not that hot anymore, so it would be nicer if they made it into a hot tub or Jacuzzi,” Upper West Side Eugene Rodriguez, 57.

“And it’s not big enough to swim in. It’s not for exercise. But it wouldn’t be bad if they had a sidewalk café where you could sip some adult beverages while you sit in there.”

The pools will be open from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., and will feature portable showers and changing rooms.