Budget Woes Close Harlem Pool

A man cools off in the fountain at Washington Square Park. It may be a more common sight after the city announced it was...

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Della Hasselle/DNAinfo

By Nina Mandell

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

MANHATTAN — Cooling down this summer is going to be harder to do after the parks department announced budget woes had forced it to close  Wagner swimming pool.

The East Harlem pool is one of four slated to be drained this month in a measure expected to save $1.4 million, the Daily News reported.

Despite the city already baking in record high temperatures, pools across the city will also close on August 22, instead of the traditional end date of Labor Day, the News said.

"This is going to be a very difficult summer for some of our most vulnerable kids," Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer told the News.

The Parks Department said in a statement that the closures were based on attendance figures, public transit access and location of pools relative to residential communities.

The Wagner pool, named after former Mayor Robert Wagner, is located on 124th Street between First and Second avenues. It was built in 1969 and underwent $43,891 worth of renovations in 1999.

The other pools being closed are in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island.

Budget cuts are forcing four area pools to shut down

Flickr user CEThompson