This past summer, the Seahorse Swim Club at Masaryk Towers abruptly shuttered in the midst of a dispute between the owner of the Lower East Side facility and the operator of the popular swim program. Today there’s some potential good news for local families hoping the center will reopen.
This morning, Seahorse Swim founder Tommy Ho tells us he’s working with managers at the housing complex to make repairs at the pool and to, hopefully, begin offering sessions again within a couple of months. Ho said previous leaders at the affordable housing co-op on Columbia Street wanted him out. Ho filed a lawsuit, which is still pending, but will be dropped when a new lease is signed, he said. Mitch Magidson, the property manager, confirmed that “it is the intention of Masaryk Towers to reopen the facility” when “serious issues” with the pool’s plumbing are resolved. He declined to go into more detail due to the pending legal case.
Since the summer, Bernice McCallum has taken over as board president, a position she previously held for many years. In an email message today, she explained that they’re trying to determine why the Masaryk pool is consuming more water than it should. “We had a pool technician in last week to evaluate and to get to the problem with the water usage” she said. “After the problem is detected and corrected the Board will be willing to renogotiate with Seahorse officials to return to the pool.”
While Ho is optimistic about completing repairs by Thanksgiving, he said it’s possible the pool won’t reopen until the first of next year. Meantime, Ho has opened a new program under the name Village East Swim Club in the Village East Towers Co-op, located at 411 East 10th St. For more information, call 212-254-3651.
