Community still without answers more than a year after Metropolitan Recreation Center closes
According to the Parks Department website, the Metropolitan Recreation Center has been locked up since January 2025 because of poor air circulation.
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For months, News 12 has covered the growing frustrations the community is feeling over the sudden closure of the Metropolitan Recreation Center in Williamsburg last January. Now, the community is demanding answers from the new Parks Department administration, as another season without the center rolls around.
According to the Parks Department website, the Metropolitan Recreation Center has been locked up since January 2025 because of poor air circulation.
“Every week I take the 62 bus to the L train to Lower Manhattan because that's the only pool open for women three times a week,” said Rifka Friedman. “Financially, I'm paying $67 a month when I paid $25 a year here.”
As people’s pockets continue to hurt and a vital part of their week is still missing, no real updates about a reopening have come about.
Even city officials say they’re unsure what exactly the holdup is.
“This is not a money issue,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso at a rally. “This is about parks being inefficient, showing why people are upset and over it with government, why people don't trust us — because we can't get simple things like this done.”
“While they spent close to 10 months trying to make temporary solutions work,” said Council Member Lincoln Restler, “they didn't do jack to move forward with the long-term capital project. So now, here we are a year and a half later, and we're still years away from the pool reopening. That is unacceptable. The parks department has failed us.”
The loss of the rec center is not only a matter of health concern, but it’s also a loss to the sense of community that so many people built there.
“I’ve been swimming here as a 12-year-old,” said Friedman. “I learned how to swim at the Met pool.”
“This is a pool where Jewish women and Muslim women swim side by side in harmony,” said another longtime recreation center member.
During a City Council hearing on Monday, the new commissioner for the Parks Department said she understands the impact, and she’s committed to making sure this community lifeline is restored. An exact date is still not confirmed.
