Taking a dip in your local indoor pool shouldn’t qualify you for membership in the Polar Bear Club.
But that’s just what users of the city’s Metropolitan Pool on Bedford Avenue are saying, thanks to a broken boiler and an insufficient temporary heater.
The temporary boiler was installed outside the building two weeks ago, but regular swimmers say it’s not heating things up enough.
“You basically have to psych yourself up, shiver a bit and just get in,” said Sam Pardo, a regular. “The younger kids are having a hard time getting in at all.”
Swimmers said the pool — at the corner of Metropolitan and Bedford avenues — feels a bit warmer since the temporary unit was installed, and pool staff said that there has been a slight decline in customers.
The city will install a new boiler once the Department of Buildings gives the OK, said Parks Department spokeswoman Theresa Pridgen.
A new boiler would be nice, of course, but it’s just the first step toward satisfying pool users.
“This used to be a beautiful place — now there’s a hole in the men’s shower room with no insulation, and I’ve heard the girl’s bathroom isn’t any better,” Pardo said. “Then again, at something like $6.75 per month [for pool membership], I can’t really complain.”
Metropolitan Pool [261 Bedford Ave. at Metropolitan Avenue, (718) 599-5707]
