New Delano-Hitch Aquatic Center Officially Open

By Journalist Dr. Ms. Jones

NEWBURGH – The Delano-Hitch Aquatic Center is officially open! The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony was held on Friday, May 23rd.

The public was invited to take a first look at the pool and splashpad. City and state officials gave remarks as Mike Neppl, Chief of Staff in The City of Newburgh, emceed the event.

“It is not every day that a city opens a new shared public space. This Newburgh is a city that builds. The new Delano-Hitch Aquatic Center is the centerpiece of the City Council’s $140 million Infrastructure Improvement Plan. This is a plan that is profoundly transforming the City of Newburgh and positioning us for a prosperous future… Public works aren’t just construction projects. They are acts of care and of community building. They are the physical expression of what Newburgh can achieve when we come together in community and proclaim that recreation, health, and connection aren’t luxuries for the few, but the rights of us all. They are an expression of the belief that we all deserve dignity and delight, and that belief is the beating heart of public service,” said Neppl. “Every young person should have a place to play and every family should have a place to gather in community.”

The Commissioner of Public Works and City Engineer Jason Morris shared how the new state-of-the-art Aquatic Center benefits the economy as it employed numerous people.
“The City of Newburgh completes another large infrastructure project on time and on budget. Construction of this new Aquatic Center started in April of 2024 and was completed May of 2025… This project represents the City of Newburgh’s continued commitment to the newest infrastructure in an effort to improve the quality of life of its residents. The City of Newburgh’s continued investment in infrastructure also puts people to work. This project stimulates the entire regional economy by employing off-site workers… mechanics to repair equipment… engineers, architects, construction managers, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, masons, machine operators… and the list goes on,” said Morris.

The $15 million Aquatic Center was built at no cost to taxpayers. It was funded entirely with grants. Eight million dollars came from a grant through the New York Swim Program which is a Swim Initiative from Governor Hochul to provide access to safe swimming and resources for communities with extreme heat. Seven million dollars was a contribution from Congressman Pat Ryan which came from The American Rescue Plan, a plan used to support recovery from the COVID-19 Pandemic.

“I wanted to specifically be here to commend the City of Newburgh. This is one of the most exceptional, I think, selfless, optimistic, hopeful uses of this funding in the country… I’m a parent of three, five-year old boys. So, I know as the summer hits and the weather gets better, the ability to have a place to take them, to let that energy out, to have that joy, to have that beautiful place to be. All parents, I know, and grandparents are especially appreciative of having this beautiful facility,” said Congressman Ryan.

Although the community is excited for a new pool, there were grumblings on social media about entry fees since the center was built with grants. Mayor Torrance Harvey addressed the concerns.

“We have our young people working in our pool, our lifeguards, 15 lifeguards. We’ve got pool attendants. They’ve got to get paid… This is also workforce development. So, we can’t allow the pool to be free… It’s $5 a day. It’s $85 for a family of four for the whole season… If you look at the price, $85 from May all the way to the first week of September, you calculate how many days that is. It’s a lot cheaper than five dollars a day for four people,” said Mayor Harvey.

The City of Newburgh is also establishing a Donation Program where people can donate anonymously for those families that can’t afford the admission fee. Young people can also take free swim lessons through Swimfinity Swimming Academy.

“We mostly do Learn to Swim… we will be doing lessons here every Saturday morning from 8:30 to 11and that’s for kids aged four to 14, all levels… We also branched out and instruct or certify lifeguards. So, a lot of the lifeguards here were instructed by us,” said Josh Bryant, owner of Swimfinity Swimming Academy, who started his program because many minority children do not know how to swim. “I swam in high school and college. I’ve been a swimmer all my life. My sister was a swimmer… Whenever I went to swim meets, it was like I could count us on one hand. Very rare. It’s hard because we don’t have access to [pools]. But now we do. This is great. This pool is huge, but the biggest thing is just access to a pool. And a lot of times, swim lessons are extremely expensive.”

The Delano-Hitch Aquatic Center is open Tuesday through Sunday, and Mondays if it is a holiday. Hours are 8 AM to 8 PM, with Lap Swim from 8 to 10 AM and Public Swim from 10 AM to 6 PM. The Splash Pad requires a daily fee or season pass but is free after hours if the temperature exceeds 95 degrees. For more information on daily admission, season passes, and swim lessons, please visit https://cityofnewburgh.recdesk.com/community/membership.

Journalist Ms. Jones