Transcript: Mayor Adams Delivers Remarks To Kick Off Outdoor Pool Season

Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi, Operations:  All right, we couldn't have a better day to open the Astoria Pool, reopen the Astoria Pool. We're in the middle of Olympic trials right now, and decades ago there were Olympic trials right behind us. This is a pool that's actually bigger than an Olympic-sized pool. It's about an Olympic and a half, a million gallons of water. 

I just want to say thank you to the men and women behind bringing us today, because construction in New York City is not for the faint of heart. Reopening this pool happened in a year, and it means that everybody in this community and throughout the city can come back to Astoria and make memories. Those memories grow up to be the adults that end up doing the work that you see with the people represented behind me. 

I also want to give a big shout-out to the Parks Department and the lifeguards for all of the work that they do to make sure that pools are safe and available and accessible for all. With that, I'd like to turn it over to our mayor, Eric Adams.

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you so much, and really excited, and can't I say enough about Sue and her team on how they understand how imperative it is for us to have these recreational spaces. Pools are just more than just a place that occupies a large volume of water. This is our French Riviera. This is our Bahamas, Bermuda. 

This is our luxury vacation, where families are able to find inexpensive ways to just engage and spend family time together. You'd be surprised how many important decisions are made while you dry off after the day of swimming in the pool. You sit down and talk about what school you're going to, where you're going to move to, where you're going to live. 

Then you have those who are really discovering our city for the first time, just the diversity of a pool like Astoria Pool, bringing all the various groups together and having them realize that the great equalizer is that we're going to share the same water. We can share the same water, we can share the same streets, the same subway, the same jobs, the same schools. 

This is the excitement of what we're seeing. I want to just really thank the commissioner and our entire team. Job well done. We're ready to splash and get cool today, and I'm just really happy to have my colleagues here with me. The borough president of Queens, Donovan Richards, Councilwoman Tiffany Cabán, as well as the ever-present, hard-working Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar. 

We're ready to make a splash and cool down this summer with 50 public pools across our city, including, right here, Astoria Pool, really exciting place. We put the money in it, and we did it, we renovated, $19 million. This reconstruction is really going to provide an entire summer of fun and activity. Being in the water this summer is going to allow young people to really, as Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi stated, create a lifetime of memories and a lifetime of friendships and bonding that goes with it. 

It is hot this summer, but we're going to cool down in our pools. This is our biggest investment. We launched SwimNYC, an investment of more than a billion dollars, more than a billion dollars in our city's pools over five years. As I was saying, this is our biggest investment in pools in over 50 years. Shows how we have focused our attention. It will help us build more pools and protect, improve our existing pools in all five boroughs. Many of these pools have laid dormant, unoccupied, and they were not renovated. 

We wanted to make sure that we would open these pools. Sue and her team just really focused on how we got it done, partnered with the Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi's entire portfolio to actually get the construction underway. Great city resources that were being underutilized. 

You can't have a good pool without a good lifeguard. It was so important for us to really focus on how we address the issues of our lifeguard shortages. That is why we are doing everything in our power to hire more lifeguards. As a result of our ongoing negotiations with the lifeguard union, we have been able to expand lifeguard hiring and staffing for the 2024 summer season and beyond. 

We already have more than 600 total lifeguards on staff and we're opening our pools today with more guards than we had at this time last year. A good negotiation during the off-season, really looking at some of the rules to change them to make sure that we can continue the safety that we expect, but also get lifeguards here so we can get our children and families enjoying our pool. 

This is a great kickoff for our Summer of Possibilities. With our largest ever Summer Streets program across the five boroughs, there's no greater place to be during the summertime than in New York City. This is why we're opening to do movies in the park at night, free cultural events, Hiring Halls and pay summer interns, summer rising programs. Our pools are open, our beaches are open, and our city is cleaner and greener than ever. This is how you protect public safety, revitalize our economy, and make the city more livable for working class people every day. 

Enjoy the summer, a great, safe summer. Leave the summer not only with great memories, but with great friends. Volunteer, participate. invite someone to the pool with you. Let's really start falling in love again with the greatest city on the globe. That's New York City, because we have the greatest people on the globe. Thank you very much.

Deputy Mayor Joshi: Thank you very much. Now I'd like to introduce the woman who is leading all of this great fun and excitement and memories and teaching New Yorkers how to swim across every borough, Commissioner Sue Donoghue.

Commissioner Sue Donoghue, Department of Parks and Recreation: Thank you, Deputy Mayor Joshi. Thank you, Mayor Adams. Good morning, Astoria. What a gorgeous morning to be here. I can't think of a more beautiful setting. I am so excited to be with you this morning to celebrate the beginning of our outdoor pool season. 

It's so fitting that we're kicking off a Summer of Possibility right here at the iconic Astoria Pool, the largest public pool in the city and one of the most beloved, no doubt. As the mayor mentioned, we recently completed a major $19 million project to upgrade this pool, which is almost 100 years old, to make sure that it's in prime condition for generations to come. 

Our pools are not only great places to have fun. As the mayor talked about, they are vital aspects, vital pieces of social infrastructure. It's where people and kids and families come together to make great memories. Our public pools offer safe access to water. For so many New Yorkers, it's where they first learn to swim. There are spaces where we come to keep cool on hot days, which is so important as our city grapples with extreme heat.

Building, maintaining, and protecting our living infrastructure like pools is essential to meeting all of the challenges our city faces today. That's why earlier this month, NYC Parks announced the Vital Parks Plan, our new framework for investing in our open spaces and empowering New Yorkers to both celebrate and advocate for the great public spaces we have across the city. 

As part of that announcement, we are so proud, as the mayor mentioned, to dedicate more than a billion dollars of investments to building new pools and improving our existing pools, like here at Astoria, to make sure that they are in good shape for generations. These facilities are not just luxuries. They are necessities. It's exciting to be here to celebrate the opening of our outdoor pools for all New Yorkers to enjoy for free. 

Starting today, our outdoor pools across the city will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. And they stay open until September the 8th. I'm also excited to say that we will be bringing back our popular Learn to Swim program, helping New Yorkers learn life-saving water safety skills. Beginning this Friday, New Yorkers can sign up for this great program through our website, nyc.gov/parks. 

Even the strongest swimmers get into trouble sometimes, so I urge all New Yorkers to follow some simple tips to keep themselves and, importantly, their families safe. Lifeguards are here for our protection, so be sure to follow their directions. Please follow all signs and posted notices. In addition to being careful in the water, we also encourage you at the Parks Department to protect your skin, so we're once again providing free sunscreen with dispensers at all of our outdoor pools. 

We want everyone to have fun this summer, but most importantly, we want you all to be safe. Before I turn the mic back over to our next speakers, I'd like to take a moment to thank all the parks employees who work so hard behind the scenes at our pools citywide to make sure this vital resource is available and accessible for all New Yorkers. 

I want to give a big shout-out to Phil Granito, who made this park happen. Thank you, Phil. Our maintenance and operations staff, our citywide services staff, it's a million gallons of water in this pool. It does not happen overnight. The work that goes on by our Parks Department staff is incredible. We are so thankful, and I want all of us to give him a big shout-out. 

This is going to be a great summer, and I look forward to seeing you all at our parks and our pools. Have a great, safe, and fun summer. Thanks so much.

Deputy Mayor Joshi: Next, we're going to hear from a man who has made it his business to make Queens a place of meeting places with markets, and public space, and also pools. Our Queens borough president, Donovan Richards.

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards: Good morning, Queens. How y'all feeling? How's Astoria feeling? How are the Mets fans feeling, importantly? I saw a Parks Department staffer with a Yankee hat. We're going to have to report. We're going to have to turn you in. 

Sure, it's an honor to be here. I couldn't be prouder to be here. This summer is here, and we know we live in a city surrounded by water, of course. Just because we don't live by the beach doesn't mean we can't get in the water in Queens. Though that is what it meant last summer, I couldn't be happier to be back here a year later. Congratulations to the Parks Department on getting this done on time, and what we say, Mr. Mayor, on budget. 

Of course, when school is out during the summer, our kids need a safe and nurturing place to go, a positive place to hang with their friends, and most importantly, a free place, because one of the things we love about our parks is that they are open to everyone, no matter your socioeconomic status, your zip code, who you love, race or religion. You can always gather in spaces like Astoria. I call our parks our democratic institutions, the lungs of our community that really are open to everyone. Of course, Astoria represents both.

Just watch, kids are going to end up in here instead of getting in trouble, Mr. Mayor. We often talk about not criminalizing our way out of poverty. Having open spaces like this ensures our kids are in a safe space and can be productive. The same goes for our older adults, too, a place to interact and stay active. The same goes for our youngest kids, who learn to swim right here, including the OEM commissioner's kids. 

Of course, this pool is almost 90 years old, but you'd never know it. I have to also, once again, point out that we are working on the locker rooms. Florence is here. I look forward to getting that done with Councilmember Cabán and the mayor, who will put more money in as well. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, in advance. Of course, we have a lot more work to make sure that swim equity is centered around the borough. 

I want to thank the mayor for his partnership in opening up what will be a new pool at Roy Wilkins Park. Of course, I have to mention the Rockaways, which we're working on an indoor and outdoor pool, Mr. Mayor. We look forward to getting the money in the days to come to finish that project up. 

With that being said, to Parks Commissioner Donoghue and the entire team, thank you all for giving back to this community. Of course, we need to make sure our parks are fully funded and that we can have lifeguards stationed everywhere. Congratulations, all.

Deputy Mayor Joshi: Making all of this possible and accessible to every New York are the men and women in orange and green, the lifeguards. They take grueling tests, undergo grueling training, and have an incredible commitment to public safety. I'd like next to bring up Kaitlyn Zheng, who is a senior lifeguard, and give us a little bit of advice on how to handle the summer, and also a real round of applause for her and her team.

Kaitlyn Zheng: Good morning, everyone. I'm so honored to be here to be able to share my thoughts with you today. I want to start off by saying lifeguards help make summer fun possible. Their life-saving skills are vital as New Yorkers head to our beaches and pools citywide. 

This year, New York City and our lifeguard corps have taken some big steps that will make it easier to hire more lifeguards, improve lifeguard operations, and help get more New Yorkers safely in the water in our pools and beaches. The new agreement, pay raise for new hires, and signing bonus for returning lifeguards, represent a major win for public safety and the people of the city, while maintaining our high standards. 

Overall, becoming a seasonal lifeguard is more than just a job. It's an opportunity to be a part of a brave team dedicated to the public service. I'm grateful that the administration appreciates how valuable our service is, and is committed to helping even more New Yorkers get involved as lifeguards. Thank you.

Mayor Adams: Before we open to any questions, we should let our two Olympic swimmers speak that are just council people and assembly persons now, because I know you are a great swimmer. Why don't you come up and talk about this excitement, Councilwoman Cabán.

City Councilmember Tiffany Cabán: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, all of the colleagues. Thank you, Parks Department. Y'all did an incredible job. We're excited to be here. 

I just want to tell you a very quick story, because I know my story and my family's story is not unique, and this is true of so many families across Astoria and across Queens. My parents grew up coming to this pool. My grandmother was a single mother in NYCHA housing who really struggled to get by, and vacations were not a thing. Camps, day camps, sleepover, that was not a thing. What was was Astoria Pool. 

They came here all the time, and some of their best memories were right here in this pool. It has a personal connection to me, and I'm really excited to spend the summer here with this world-class, one-of-a-kind facility and just double down on what we heard from the mayor, from the commissioner, from our borough president.

This is what public safety looks like, when we have fully funded parks and pools, when we have lifeguards, when we have a place for everybody of all ages to gather, to build community. Keeps folks out of trouble, keeps them cool, keeps them healthy, keeps them safe. More of it. Enjoy the summer. Celebrate. This is a great way to kick it off. Thank you.

Mayor Adams: That's a, that's a great story, To be, for a grandmother to have used this pool, and now you're part of the funding to renovate the pool for more great, for grandparents. Our second Olympic swimmer, Assemblywoman Rajkumar.

State Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar: Hey, good morning, Astoria. Are you excited for pool season? I'm State Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar, and I am ready to make a big splash this summer. This is the Summer of Possibility. Yesterday, the schools closed for the year, and the next day is pool season. I am so excited to be standing here at Astoria Pool, the largest pool in New York City. On this day, 49 other pools are also opening across the city for summer revelers. 

I am just so excited for what pools do, yes, for community, for our local businesses, but also for our New York City economy. Pool season is a real driver of our economy. In fact, the Parks Department has reported in a single summer, 1.7 million people use our pools. What does that mean? That means that when they use the pool, they're also simulating the local economy. They're frequenting the businesses in the area. It also is creating incredible employment for our lifeguards, for administrative staff. Pools are the economic engine of the greatest city on earth. 

As a state partner for the city, I'm committed to also ensuring that we have a steady stream of state funding coming in for New York City and for our pools. Everyone, have a wonderful summer. Make all your dreams come true, and enjoy this summer of possibility. Thank you.

Mayor Adams: Thank you. Thank you. I don't know if it was missed, but I want to make sure Katie got it. We did this in one year. One year, okay? Make sure you got that. This is, we're getting stuff done for you, New York. We're getting stuff done for you.

Are we doing on-topics? Yes. How are you? 

Question: [Inaudible.]

Mayor Adams: If I get in my swimming trunks and dip in, it would be a scandal story, so I'll just use the pool in the private setting, Because I wear Speedos.

Question: My real question is, are there pools that still haven't opened, [inaudible]?

Commissioner Donoghue: Yes, exactly Tompkins Square Park. Yes, we are doing, we have 53 outdoor pools, and 50 of them are opening, because we have three that are under construction. A brand new pool opening in the Harlem Meer, the one in Tompkins Square Park, as you mentioned, and then Tony Dapolito. 

Question: [Inaudible.] 

Commissioner Donoghue: Oh, no. Absolutely not. No. They're being reopened. Absolutely. Yes. 

Question: Mayor Adams, I guess because the Borough President mentioned it, I know you were in the budget season. We expect a handshake soon. It needs to be by June 30th. You, as a campaign, and when you were campaigning, you committed at least 1 percent of the city's annual budget towards parks. That hasn't happened. We have parks that are underfunded. We have parks, we have a hiring freeze. 

Will you commit, at least in this budget, or the next one, to improving the parks budget, increasing the parks budget, and maybe getting it to 1 percent? If it hasn't happened yet, will you commit to that?

Mayor Adams: First of all, that must be one of the longest questions I've heard in the history of press conferences. That must be the longest one. Listen. First of all, let's let the process play out with our leaders, and I say this over and over again, AA Airlines, we're going to land a plane. 

When you look at what this city council has done, and what my administration has done with the incoming of so many levels, including $4.3 billion that came out of our budget without any federal help, when you look at the sunsetting of major programs like Summer Rising, Pre-K, 3K, and we were able to sustain them, let's let the process go through. 

I am confident, and Speaker Adams, and the council members there, so let's let the process go through, and at the end of the day, trust me, we will all be celebrating the success of two successful leaders in this city that are both Queens residents, and both went to Bayside High School, where I did my alma mater graduation speech two days ago, I believe it was. Let's let the process go through. 

Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on. Again, let's let the process go through, okay? Next. How are you? How are you? You look very summery. Oh, I can't say that. I forgot. 

Question: [Inaudible.]

Commissioner Donoghue: Yes, we were so pleased back in February to announce an increase in pay to $22 an hour, plus a $1,000 retention bonus for our returning lifeguards that is now going to be, it's going to be set going forward. We've done a whole lot of work. I'm so proud of the team. Our first deputy commissioner, Iris Rodriguez-Rosa. We've expanded our training. We've expanded opportunities. We renegotiated the lifeguard contract. First time in 40 years. 

That does give us more opportunity, more help with bringing in more lifeguards, changes some of the standards, puts us in a management, more of a management position. We are seeing more. We were better with recruitment. We're seeing more coming in. It's going in the right direction. We're seeing more lifeguards coming into the recruitment stream. We're over where we were last year. 

We're opening up all of our pools today, which is a major accomplishment. Want to be able to have New Yorkers be out there, but to be out there safe and have the lifeguards they need. 

Question: [Inaudible.]

Commissioner Donoghue: Last year we were at 850 lifeguards. We're looking to do that again this year or exceed that.