What to Know
- This season, pool goers will have another option when it comes to choosing where to keep cool in the city. A grand option, as in "New York City's largest pool"- type of grand.
- The Astoria Pool, which is the city's largest pool, holding one million gallons at 330 feet long, is almost ready for swimmers after being closed nearly two years to undergo a $19 million upgrade.
- On Tuesday, the city announced it is committing $1 billion dollars to re-do 39 other pools.
This season, pool-goers will have another option when it comes to choosing where to keep cool in the city. A grand option, as in "New York City's largest pool"- type of grand.
The Astoria Pool, which is the city's largest pool, holding one million gallons at 330 feet long, is almost ready for swimmers after being closed nearly two years to undergo a $19 million upgrade.
In an exclusive interview with NBC New York, NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue said the biggest ticket item for Astoria Pool is a new filtration system.
“We are looking at a brand new pool liner and we re-did the whole pool deck," Donoghue said.
The upgrades have been a long-time coming since it is replacing infrastructure, including the filtration system, from the 1930s.
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On Tuesday, the city announced it is committing $1 billion dollars to re-do 39 other pools.
News
But all that investment hasn't solved another challenge plaguing pool and water safety across the country: the lifeguard shortage.
Even though pay has jumped from $19/hr to $22/hr in New York City, officials continue to struggle to find lifeguards and blame the pandemic — when many training programs got scaled back.
In 2016, New York City had peak staffing with 1,500 lifeguards. However, last season that number was down almost half -- reaching just 825 lifeguards. Meanwhile, this year, the city is hoping for 900 lifeguards.
“It’s a national shortage — municipalities across the country are dealing with shortage of lifeguards," Donoghue said.
Now, as families wait to move some of their kids from the sprinklers into the pools amid the steamy temperature, many New Yorkers ask if the pools can open earlier than the scheduled date next week.
Donoghue said that although the city would like to, the reality is there is "so much work that goes into facilities.“
So the original plan is still in motion: the pool season in New York City starts June 27 -- the day after NYC Schools end for summer, and on which the Astoria Pool and 49 others will open for all summer revelers.
