After more than a decade of campaigning and planning, +POOL is finally coming to the New York City waterfront. Governor Kathy Hochul announced the outstanding news that Friends of +Pool has received a $16 million investment from both the city and state to fund a pilot project this year, with the goal of launching the pool in 2025. This news comes as part of a wider initiative set to expand safe swimming access across New York State and address the growing state-wide issues of extreme heat and drownings among youth.

Conceived in 2010, +POOL was the first piece of civic architecture launched through Kickstarter. Set to be a floating pool that will contain over 600,000 gallons of water filtered directly from the East River, +POOL is designed as a 4-in-1 pool: a Kid’s pool, Sports pool, Lap pool, and Lounge pool. While the pool will be located along the East River, an exact location for +POOL has not yet been finalized.

+POOL Rendering, 2024. Designed by Family New York & Playlab, Inc. Image by Luxigon.

This announcement comes after a year of record-breaking temperatures and increased demands for access to water to escape the heat. It also comes during a lifeguard shortage that prevented many New York City public pools from opening. Last summer marked the worst lifeguard shortage in the city’s history due in part to tension between the city and the lifeguard union. While building more pools won’t alleviate the pressure of lifeguard shortages, providing more pool access and opportunities for people to learn how to swim could help.

To help with some of this stress, +POOL and others are pushing for non-profits who provide aquatic education and swim instruction to gain access to public pool facilities, particularly if the city cannot provide funding to do so themselves. However, cost for these non-profits remains an issue. “One of the barriers for non-profits is the cost of renting pool space which is extremely high,” shared Nora Cronin, program director at +POOL.

Along with +POOL, Governor Hochul also announced NY SWIMS: the New York Statewide Investment In More Swimming. This comes in recognition of the fact that drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1-4 and that climate change will increase extreme heat events. This program is set to create a competitive $60 million grant program to facilitate the renovation and construction of pools in high-need neighborhoods across the State. This program will also deliver $150 million in grant funding for localities to build 10 new landmark public swimming pools in areas most in need. “NY SWIMS will be the largest statewide investment in swimming since the New Deal, expanding access for underserved communities and improving safety for kids across New York,” said Governor Hochul.

NY SWIMS will be overseen by New York State Parks and administered by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY). To help ensure floating pools meet all appropriate public health standards, the New York State Department of Health will provide guidance that will allow organizations to test the feasibility of innovative swimming pool designs within the state’s natural waters.

While seen by agencies and supporters as places to cool off, public pools are often overlooked as communal spaces that allow for social networking. “These places are not just a public space for swimming, they’re a place for communities to gather” shared Nora. Pools are the sites of community events, like barbecues and block parties, and provide opportunities for children to learn how to swim while also building social cohesion.

Learning how to swim should be a right for all communities, everywhere, and can help to prevent so many unnecessary drownings. In New York City, 1 in 4 children don’t know how to swim, with the numbers being lower for Black children and Asian children, with 1 in 3 lacking the skills to swim. Let’s work together to see more pools and swim programs available to everyone in the city. If you’re interested in making water safety an essential right for all, sign on to the Water Safety Coalition’s petition below.

Sign on: Make Water Safety Education an Essential Right for All in NY!