By Forum Staff
Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) Commissioner Sue Donoghue today launched Let’s Swim NYC, a more than $1 billion capital investment in building, improving, and protecting New York City’s public pools over the course of five years (between Fiscal Year 2024 and Fiscal Year 2028).
This funding will mark the city’s highest period of investment in swimming infrastructure since the 1970s.
Through Let’s Swim NYC, the city is bringing needed funding to 39 pools, including building two brand new indoor pools and fully renovating three additional pools.
More than 60 percent of NYC Parks pools are less than one-quarter of a mile from a New York City Housing Authority campus and in communities with high Heat Vulnerability Index scores. Let’s Swim NYC is one of 10 strategic initiatives being announced in the Vital Parks for All plan, NYC Parks’ forthcoming plan to equitably strengthen the city’s health, environment, and communities through the city’s parks system. Vital Parks for All will focus investments in living infrastructure, including public parks, greenways, pools, playgrounds, wild areas, and recreation centers that host the civic life of the city and make communities healthier, safer, and more livable.
This summer, New Yorkers will be able to enjoy upgraded outdoor public pools in all five boroughs:
- Astoria Pool in Queens will reopen after an approximately $19 million reconstruction, with a brand-new pool shell, deck, and lighting; state-of-the-art filtration and chemical treatment systems; and upgraded heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and electrical equipment.
- NYC Parks will open a fully-renovated mini-pool at Edenwald Playground in the Bronx.
- New colorful concrete pool decks, new plantings for color and shade, new benches, fencing, and ADA ramps will greet visitors to John Jay and Sheltering Arms Pools in Manhattan and West Brighton Pool in Staten Island, all modeled after the Cool Pools initiative.
- Less visible but vital renovations will keep pools operating smoothly, including new utility lines and HVAC systems at Betsy Head Pool in Brooklyn, Lyons Pool in Staten Island, and Highbridge and Jackie Robinson Pools in Manhattan that will ensure these free public amenities continue to serve generations to come.
As previously announced, the city is also building a new $147 million recreation center with an indoor pool at Roy Wilkins Park in St. Albans, Queens.
Beyond today’s major capital investment in the city’s pools, the Adams administration has also taken strong steps to combat a nationwide lifeguard shortage to ensure that as many of New York City’s pools and beaches can be open for safe swimming as possible this summer. In late May, an arbitration panel issued an award in the city’s ongoing negotiations with the bargaining unit representing city lifeguards that will functionally pave the way for the city to be able to hire more lifeguards, allow more swimming capacity at beaches and pools over the coming summers, and improve operations of the city lifeguard program. Among other things, the award will allow the city to modify the qualification for lifeguards assigned to shallow water pools and modernize the vision requirements to be more in line with state regulations and industry standards. This builds on the City’s agreement with District Council 37 (DC37) earlier this year to permanently improve the pay of City lifeguards to $22 an hour as of this summer, along with a $1,000 per year bonus for returning lifeguards.
