What's Going To Happen To Lincoln Park? No, Not The Band The Pool

The Lincoln Park Pool is one of the most unique pools in the country. It's different from almost every pool I've ever seen. From its unique shape to its sloped zero-entry sides, and even its number of lifeguards it takes to monitor the water safely.

Construction of the unique pool started in 1930 and when it was completed it was one of the biggest community pools in the country and one of the most expensive according to the Friends of Albany History Facebook page. In 1931, when the pool opened the city has spent about $100,000 on the pool and bathhouse. That would be well over $2 million dollars in today's money.

Here's the issue with the outdated, but really cool community pool. Like I just said, it's outdated. Everything from outdated safety codes to outdated filtration systems the pool needs a major update. Plus, according to the Times Union, it leaks....a lot. Basically, it's leaked since it was completed in 1931. The pool can hold over one million gallons of water and some days it leaks anywhere from 300,000 to 500,000 gallons a day. The city has even had to shut down the pool in the past to make emergency repairs.

According to some residents, they believe that the city has made up their mind and want to replace the historic pool with a modern Olympic pool that would take up less space and make room to offer more amenities at the Lincoln Park Pool.

One of the biggest issues with rebuilding the current pool is the lack of ladders to get out of the pools and that's a safety and code violation. Also, The filtration system would need to be updated as well as rebuilding the entire surface of the pool, maybe including a deep end that could be used for swim meets. Mayor Sheehan said just about anything could be done with unlimited funds, but Albany doesn't have unlimited funds to spend on a community pool.

The administration is planning three more virtual open houses. A final recommendation on the future design is set for early October.

LOOK: If the pool isn't your thing. Here are the 50 best beach towns in America

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.

Keep reading to see if your favorite beach town made the cut.