Hoboken 1st Ward Councilman/mayoral hopeful Mike DeFusco plans to bring a “floating pool and urban beach” area to the Mile Square City if elected on November 7th.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Politicians have promised us a community pool for as long as I can remember, but they have never delivered,†DeFusco said in a statement.
“Hoboken should be leading the way and providing innovative community amenities — which is why as Mayor, I will acquire the land currently owned by Union Dry Dock on the Hudson River to finally connect the entire waterfront and construct a municipal urban beach and floating pool complex.”
The Floating Pool concept would not only finally provide Hoboken residents with a public community pool, but would also include two Urban Beach spaces: a children’s splash pool, a riverfront marina and a continuation of the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway.
Located at 901 Sinatra Drive, the Union Dry Dock property is the last vestige of the waterfront’s industrial past and one of the only remaining undeveloped parcels on the Gold Coast.
Under DeFusco’s plan, the property would be acquired through transparent negotiations, and public-private partnerships would be sought to minimize upfront costs to Hoboken taxpayers while providing a much-needed community amenity.
One of his mayoral rivals, Councilman-at-Large Ravi Bhalla has already expressed an interest in making a city-run pool a part of his recreation program agenda.
While a spokesman for the Bhalla campaign declined to comment on DeFusco’s proposed pool plan, a source close to the councilman said “at some point in the campaign, plans will be subject to a reality test and we are going to be very comfortable in that comparison.”