Ask Commonpoint chief operating officer Craig Lastres what drew him to the former Madison Square Boys & Girls Clubhouse on Hoe Avenue, and he has a quick answer.

"It literally was the thing that brought me to love this building, was having this pool," Lastres said of the large pool, which sat empty for five years as the club’s services declined.

Now, the pool will be used to teach children to swim and offer aquatic activities in a neighborhood where swim lessons are scarce.

What You Need To Know

  • Commonpoint has opened a new full-service community center in The Bronx

  • The center is located inside a former Madison Square Boys and Girls Club location on Hoe Avenue in Crotona

  • The center includes a pool, renovated gym and classrooms and a music and podcast studio

"We see that there is a lifeguard shortage in New York City, and one of the ways to solve that is starting with our youth," Lastres said.

The pool is one of the highlights of Commonpoint’s new community center in the Bronx. The nonprofit, which has its roots in Queens, has operated youth workforce services in the Bronx for several years and is now expanding its programming.

"We want to build a whole community center here that involves the entire community, from our youth all the way to our seniors — having programming during the day, having programming for lunch, having a dinner here. This is the place we really want community to come to," Lastres said.

The renovated space offers GED and English for Speakers of Other Languages classes, as well as job training and certification in the medical field.

"Everything kind of raises the bar. And then first, you thought, ‘I am just going to come and get my GED,’ and then you realize there are so many different tracks you can go on," said Gavin Johnston, assistant vice president for Bronx services at Commonpoint.

The facility also features a renovated gym for basketball, soccer, volleyball, and other sports, along with a dance studio. A music room, in partnership with the nonprofit Notes for Notes, offers space for jamming, recording, and podcasting.

"Music is a multi-billion-dollar industry, and we really created a really nice place to really facilitate those conversations and those things going on," Johnston said.

Now, Commonpoint is working to spread the word about its revitalized space and expanding programs.

"This is a new name in the community. We need to go out in the community and make as many connections as we can, show the community that we care about them, and change the way things were done here," Lastres said.

For more on Commonpoint’s programs, visit its website.