Mineola Pool Celebrates 50th Opening

John DaVanzo can remember when the area of by Liberty Avenue was still landfill, and the tree just inside the entrance was still about three feet high.

“I worked on all of this,” he said Saturday morning, gesturing beyond the cement cinder blocks of the pool walls toward the fields and recalling the height of the umbrella-shaped tree against his knee with his hand for comparison.

The John DaVanzo Pool, or “aquatic center” as village trustee Lawrence Werther dubbed it, first opened in 1961, and will be celebrating its 50th anniversary of service this year. The facility was renovated in 1997 and added a deep end and slide.

“It’s one of the jewels - the jewel – in Mineola is this pool,” said as the pool opened its gates for the 2011 season, and encouraged village residents to use the facility as much as possible.  “It’s not always utilized the way it should be,” he said.

DaVanzo predicted that this year the pool may in fact see an increase in membership as many residents may not want to take vacations, instead choosing to stay closer to home.

Before members of the public started arriving, Strauss thanked the village staff as well as the members of the pool board for their work readying the facility in time for opening day.

“You did a fantastic job, as you always do,” he said.

The mayor also addressed the lifeguards, all of which had reported for the opener and man the pool offices and safety towers.

“The most precious thing we have in the world is our kids,” Strauss said, “and I ask that you continue as you’ve always done in the past to be vigilant when you’re standing watch over the most precious things we have in the world.”

This year the first one to make the plunge this year was Andrew Maher, son of pool/ recreation board member Richard Maher. “It’s cold,” he said climbing out after doing a cannonball off the north end of the pool.