St. Mary’s Recreation Center in Mott Haven will soon be a more environmentally-friendly place to play, thanks to major renovations that were completed in May.
The facility was the city’s first indoor recreation city in 1951. A half-century later, it is the first to receive a “green retrofit” announced deputy commissioner of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, Liam Kavanagh, at a May 18 ribbon-cutting ceremony. Students from P.S. 161 and P.S. 230 helped celebrate the event.
The new upgrades include replacement of the existing lights that automatically turn off when there is enough daylight or when the facility is not in use; energy-efficient motors for the swimming pool; and the addition of a vestibule near the building’s front doors to reduce the loss of air conditioning.
The next phase of improvements, expected to begin later this year, will include a solar thermal system on the roof to supply hot water to the facility.
In all, the retrofit cost the city $1.38 million, but officials estimate they will save about $170,000 per year while cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
“With these improvements, Parks’ recreation centers will not only make the city a healthier and happier place to live, but a greener and cleaner one,” said Kavanagh.
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