Public Employee Press

At Brownsville Rec Center
Dirty pool

By DIANE S. WILLIAMS

SUMMER began with a murky splash for Local 461 Lifeguards at the Brownsville Recreation Center as chunks of ceiling plaster rained down on them.

Miguel Rios, a 27-year veteran Lifeguard, told of serious conditions that render the widely used indoor pool unsafe to members and the public: black mold growing on the walls and the heavy chlorine smell saturating the air, clear signs of inadequate ventilation. On weekends chlorine and pH (acid) levels go unchecked.

Swimming is a vital life skill. Parents unable to afford private pools or country clubs have to enter their children in a lottery to get lessons at BRC, but the deplorable conditions and apparent neglect by the city Parks Dept. led Local 461 President Franklyn Paige to wonder: "Would this be acceptable in Chelsea?"

Lillian Goodwine of the DC 37 Health and Safety Dept. inspected May 17 and found that the rooftop ventilation system is missing, probably stolen years ago, while window air conditioners teeter dangerously on rusted supports. The first-aid kit is empty and BRC has no defibrillator. Locks on the blocked exit doors are rusted, exposed electrical wires dangle from the ceiling and shower stalls are caked with a white fungus-like substance. Goodwine recommended that the union file grievances and take legal action to protect members.

Needed capital improvements have failed to materialize. To improve ventilation, the city provided a new fan. A year later it is rusted like a Titanic relic. Turn it on and it spits rust flakes across stagnant, humid air. City inspectors come but don't follow up. "They tested air samples, but there are no standards for humidity and chlorine fumes in the air," said Lifeguard Supervisors Local 508 President Peter Stein.


Chlorine is a powerful irritant that can trigger asthma and skin rashes. One recently published study shows that teens who spent a lot of time swimming in chlorinated pools had more than eight times the risk of developing asthma or allergies.

Children who live in low-income neighborhoods like Brownsville are already twice as likely to suffer from asthma, according to the New York City Health Dept.

"I am afraid for my health, but I don't want to lose my job that I love," Rios said. "Parks needs to do something."

In January, Lifeguards had to evacuate a swim class after part of the ceiling collapsed. The Parks Dept. sent a crew to patch the holes, "but that's only a temporary fix, not the real capital improvements that are needed," Paige said.

Parks Manager Casey Riley met with the DC 37 Parks Liaison Committee May 24. "Mold should not be where workers are," she said. "But when we asked specifically about conditions at the BRC pool, she just stammered," Paige said. "Having Lifeguards working and kids swimming in these horrible conditions is not acceptable to us or the community."