The bathhouse at the Bowline Point Park pool complex in Haverstraw is going to be replaced. The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has awarded the Town of Haverstraw $4 million in discretionary state capital funding for the job, enough to take down the building that has served the pool since 1973 and put up a new one.

The bathhouse is the building every swimmer passes through: changing rooms, restrooms and the entry to the pool deck. The state described the current one as deteriorating and long overdue for an upgrade after more than five decades of summers.

What is at Bowline Point

Bowline Point Park sits on the Hudson River in the Town of Haverstraw, Rockland County, on land that was once part of the area's brickmaking industry. Today it is green lawns, river views and a full pool complex.

The pool complex itself includes:

  • An Olympic-size pool with a diving well and a wading area
  • Two water slides
  • A toddler pool
  • Playgrounds
  • An accessible water spray area

The complex is an affordable summer destination for local families, and it also hosts town and village day camps and programs run by nonprofit groups, which is why a new bathhouse reaches well beyond the families who buy a season pass.

Where the money comes from

The award was announced by State Parks Commissioner Kathy Moser together with local officials, including Town of Haverstraw Supervisor Howard Phillips and Assemblymember Patrick Carroll. The town supervisor described the funding as a way to modernize the pool complex.

The grant ties into the state's Unplug and Play initiative, which pays for recreation buildings around New York. Its swimming program, NY SWIMS, has awarded close to $260 million to 79 pool and swimming projects, and a sister program, NY BRICKS, has awarded $100 million to 30 community center projects, with another $75 million available in a second round.

What comes next

The state's announcement does not give a construction schedule or an opening date for the new bathhouse. Those will come from the Town of Haverstraw as design and bidding move ahead, and the town is the place to watch for whether work affects the 2027 swim season.

Bowline Point Park is on the Haverstraw waterfront, a short drive from Route 9W. Pool season details, passes and camp information come from the Town of Haverstraw.

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