New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that a new, floating swimming pool will be making waves in the city next year.
Referred to as “+Pool,” the structure is a portable, water-filtering pool that is able to float on top of the various bodies of water that surround New York City.
The purpose of the pool concept is to provide New Yorkers with additional spaces to swim during the summers, especially amidst rising occurrences of extreme temperatures that can put residents at risk. The state pledged $12 million, while the city said it would allocate $4 million to pilot and scale the structure, according to a statement from the Friends of +Pool, a nonprofit.
“Whether you are a young person taking swimming lessons or an older adult enjoying recreational time cooling off in the water, increased swimming access is a benefit to all New Yorkers,” said Anne Williams-Isom, deputy mayor for Health and Human Services.
“We are hopeful that this unique project will ultimately result in expanded access to swimming, help address equity access gaps, and show how a strong city-state partnership can benefit the community and the environment.”
The +Pool is part of the state’s newly-announced NY SWIMS initiative, which aims to increase access to safe swimming options throughout New York.
“Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1-4 and extreme heat is making the need for safe summer recreation more urgent than ever," said Governor Kathy Hochul. "NY SWIMS is a bold ambitious plan to tackle this issue here in New York City and across the State of New York.”
Hochul said the state would alllocated $150 million in grant funding for localities to build out 10 new landmark public swimming pools in areas most in need, drive innovation in pool designs, and deploy pop-up above-ground pools to combat extreme heat.
According to the city, +Pool is scheduled to be tested during the summer of 2024, with plans of opening the floating pools next year after all health and safety requirements have been satisfied.
