BATTERY PARK CITY — Asphalt Green's new community center in Battery Park City will not open in time for summer camp, the organization said this week.
The long-delayed $55 million community center at 212 N. End Ave. was originally supposed to open last fall, and Asphalt Green planned a packed winter and spring of programming, along with a summer camp for local children.
But one by one, each of the community center's programs has been canceled, as the Battery Park City Authority, which is building the 52,000-square-foot facility, has fallen behind on construction.
"We do not have any indication from the Battery Park City Authority as to when the facility will open," an Asphalt Green spokeswoman said in a statement on Tuesday.
A spokesman for the Battery Park City Authority said the agency could not allow Asphalt Green to run its summer camp because the building has not yet received the necessary safety and occupancy permits.
The BPCA did not provide an updated timeline on when the center would open.
“After careful thought and consideration, we determined that Asphalt Green Battery Park City Summer Camp is, unfortunately, not feasible," the BPCA spokesman said in a statement on Monday.
"We understand the inconvenience this may cause families, however, we simply cannot open camp before securing all of the necessary safety and occupancy certifications and permits for the building. While we hoped this would not be the case, we wanted families to be aware of the situation in order to make alternate plans.”
More than 60 children had signed up for Asphalt Green's inaugural Downtown summer camp. Those families can now choose to either receive a complete refund or get free busing for their children to Asphalt Green's other summer camp on the Upper East Side.
When it finally opens, Asphalt Green's new Battery Park City community center will feature two pools, a 156-seat theater and a gym, with programs ranging from swim lessons for toddlers to classes in French cooking for adults. Children will be able to join competitive sports leagues, and local workers will be able to stop in to train for a triathlon.
In early January, Gayle Horwitz, president of the Battery Park City Authority, blamed the construction delays on a slow permitting process and said she hoped the center would open soon.
"It's an incredibly frustrating situation," Horwitz said nearly six months ago. "If we could open it tomorrow, I'd be the happiest person alive."
