New York City Council bills look to address need for more public swimming pools
NEW YORK -- With summer fast approaching, there is an effort by city lawmakers to increase the number of public pools.
It's about cooling off and saving lives.
Public pools aren't just a great place to cool off in the summer. In many cases, they're the only way for kids to learn a valuable life skill that keeps them safe.
"Learning how to swim should be as common as learning how to ride a bike," City Councilmember Julie Menin said.
The City Council introduced three sets of legislation Wednesday that would require the Parks Department to survey sites for new public pools, provide free swimming lessons to children, and mandate reports to the mayor's office annually about lifeguard staffing.
The need for more public pools in our area is glaring. Eighteen City Council districts don't have one.
READ MORE: New York City aims to address lack of public swimming pools in communities of color
And the Council says 1 out of every 4 New Yorkers under the age of 18 doesn't know how to swim, with the number increasing to 1 in 3 in Black and Asian communities. Some council members say access to pools will save young lives.
"This is something that is a critical need. We should view this as we view being knowledgeable about buckling our seatbelts and doing safety precautions when you're driving. This needs to be something that's second nature to people who live in New York City," Councilmember Selvena Brooks-Powers said.
Brooks-Powers' district is in Queens, the borough the most in need in need and where only 12% of the population lives within walking distance of a public pool.
Under Brooks-Powers' bill specifically, the Parks Department would survey city-owned sites -- referred to as "no use" land -- that would be considered as sites for public pools.
"We hope that with the passage of this bill, we would be able to identify unused spaces in underserved communities," Brooks-Powers said.
More pools means more lifeguards. In 2022, the Parks Department only hired about half the number of lifeguards needed, which led to suspended swim programs across the city. Just Tuesday, the Parks Department and the city's largest union, DC37, announced an agreement to a wage increase for lifeguards to more than $21 per hour.
Sue Donoghue, commissioner of NYC Parks and Recreation, said, "Our current projections is that we're going to have roughly what we had last year."
"Which is roughly about 900?" Councilmember Shekar Krishnan asked.
"Yes," Donoghue replied.
The optimal number of lifeguards, the Parks Department says, is 1,400.