Central Park welcomes new pool and ice-skating rink as part of major renovation

NEW YORK (PIX11) -- When was the last time you heard about a spanking new facility in Central Park?

And this time it is happening in Harlem.

New Yorkers will now have a new pool to swim in and a new rink to ice skate on.

And lots of other activities for every different season.

It’s been called the intersection of nature and community here in Central Park’s north end.

It was opening day at the Davis Center at the Harlem Meer.

In celebration of this $160 million renovation project, there was a community celebration featuring live music and family activities.

The Central Park Conservancy called this its most significant and complex project since it opened in 1980.

“We have a whole mix of programs for the month of May,” Leah Van Horn, the senior vice president of the Central Park Conservancy, told PIX11 News. “We have yoga, family movie nights,” she added.

The festivities took place on what is being called the Harlem Oval, which has artificial turf in the Spring and Fall.

Underneath the turf will be the Gottesman pool in the summer, free and able to serve 1,000 swimmers at a time.

In the winter, there’ll be a free ice-skating rink.

“When the Central Park Conservancy proposed this idea, we wanted to make sure it was in lockstep with the Harlem community,” Darline Lalanne, the director of public programming and general manager of the Davis Center, told PIX11 News.

And even though it was a slightly cloudy, sometimes drizzling day, there were rave reviews from the thousands who attended.

“I am glad it is finally open,” Laura Allen, a Harlem resident, told PIX11 News. “It’s been a struggle for a few years since the Lasker rink closed,” she added.

Another parent, Greg McDonald, said: “It’s pretty awesome.”

The next big event here at the Davis Center will be the opening of the brand new swimming pool in late June.