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NYC will extend public pool hours to offer New Yorkers relief from heat
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Jul 19, 2022
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By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Jul 19, 2022
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New York City will extend pool hours at most public pools as it faces seven straight days of above-90 degree weather.
The city’s parks department plans to announce on Tuesday that Olympic- and intermediate-sized outdoor pools will stay open an extra hour on Wednesday and Thursday. Those pools will be open between 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. until 8 p.m.
Megan Moriarty, a parks department spokesperson, said the city could decide to extend pool hours on other days this week should the blazing temperatures continue.
“We’re going to keep looking at the forecast,” she told Gothamist.
The extended hours will not apply to the city’s 17 so-called mini pools reserved for small children.
The extension of pool hours comes as the city experiences some of the hottest days so far this summer. A heat advisory from the National Weather Service is currently in effect, beginning at noon and running until 8 p.m. Wednesday. Temperatures are expected to feel as though they are between 95 and 100 degrees.
Facing a lifeguard shortage, New York City has struggled to keep all of its 51 outdoor pools open. In an effort to expand staffing, the city earlier this month reached a deal with the lifeguards’ union that would give its members a temporary pay bump going from $16 to over $19 per hour.
As of Tuesday, the city parks department said there were now 852 lifeguards, up from 778 when the union agreement was announced. The number is still far below the roughly 1,400 to 1,500 that the city is seeking to hire.
In another safety measure, the city has also activated cooling centers across the five boroughs for those without access to air conditioning.
New Yorkers interested in finding a pool near them should visit the parks department website.
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new york city
heat advisory
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Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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