Transcript: Mayor Adams, Governor Hochul Announce First-of-Its-Kind Floating Pool Coming To City Waters, Further Expanding Swimming Access For New Yorkers

January 5, 2024

Lucas Rosado: I'm Lucas Rosado, a 13-year-old Latino from East Harlem. Some of my earliest memories are swimming here at the Children's Aid Milbank Center. I started swimming when I was five and became competitive when I was seven. And one of my favorite things to do is race at swim meets. I always have fun competing, making new friends and improving with my team.

During the pandemic, that all came to a stop. In that long period when I couldn't swim, I realized just how important swimming is. It's a valuable skill that teaches values like community, sportsmanship, hard work, discipline and perseverance In Latino and Black communities like mine, I think expanding swim programs would be amazing.

In these communities, a reduction in obesity and drowning rates is greatly needed, and providing young people access to pools and lessons will help them experience the numerous physical, mental and social benefits that swimming has to offer. Programs that increase pool access and swimming education like the Children's Aid are great for building strong and healthy communities.

Swimming is also a social sport that allows you to meet new people and learn valuable skills like sportsmanship and teamwork. People who started as toddlers just learning how to swim eventually grow up to be coaches as adults all while maintaining lifelong friendships.

That comfort, shared by all ages and backgrounds here at the pool, is something more people need to experience, and I'm confident that Governor Hochul's announcement will help achieve that for all communities. That is why I'm so excited the governor is here. She's going to tell us about a new plan to get more people in the pool.

I hope everyone in New York can get a swimming pool near them and learn to love being in the water just like I do. So, please, join me in welcoming Governor Kathy Hochul.

Governor Kathy Hochul: Let's give another huge round of applause to Lucas, who did an amazing job, Lucas Rosado. Well done, Lucas. So articulate and composed, and so happy to be out of school. That was great.

As I unveil my fourth proposal for my State of the State, I'm really delighted to be here at the bank, as it's finally known, as hosted by Children's Aid. And this is an opportunity for us to focus on vital opportunities for our youngest New Yorkers to learn how to swim, but also, as Lucas said, learn sportsmanship and friendship and develop new relationships and stay alive.

It's been an ambitious week for us so far. On Tuesday, we announced our Consumer Protection and Affordability Agenda. On Wednesday, we talked about getting back to basics when it comes to reading. Yesterday, we focused on moms and babies and how we're going to focus on maternal and infant mortality.

And during my State of the State on Tuesday, you'll hear more details about some of the critical issues facing New Yorkers, focusing on crime and mental health, two areas that Mayor Adams and I are laser focused on.

But today, since it's Friday, let's talk about something a little more fun, a little more lighthearted, but it's still a big issue. It's an important one, because it's an issue that we talk about is fun, we can make a splash of it, but it's also how we can save more lives.

We're launching New York SWIMS, a bold effort, you guessed it, to get New Yorkers swimming. We're going to invest millions of dollars to build new pools and swimming facilities all across the state to help every New Yorker learn how to swim and keep people safe in and around the water.

And I do want to thank the partners who have made this happen and are so supportive, starting with our great mayor. Mayor Adams, thank you for being such a proponent of helping young people learn these skills because we've lost too many young people.

There have been too many stories, especially here in the city, of young people who did not know how to swim. They go off one day and never come home, and those families are just absolutely ripped apart. And the mayor knows this, and that's why he's here focusing on getting one of his proposals over the finish line.

Phoebe Boyer, the president and CEO of the Children's Aid Society, thank you, Phoebe, for inviting us.

It's always great when our congressman's in the house. We've had some amazing announcements with Adriano Espaillat, thank you. Yes, the Second Avenue Subway's happening. You can stop asking me about it for the first time in a decade. 

Senator Cordell Cleare, thank you for a great partner. Senator Robert Jackson has joined us, where is he? Oh, down at the end, holding up the end of the aisle there. Assemblymember Manny De Los Santos, Manny's here. Assemblymember Eddie Gibbs has joined us. Thank you, Eddie. Great to see you. Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, thank you, Mark. All my other colleagues in local government, the City Council, and Heidi Reiss, who you're going to hear from, AquaBeba, who's going to be talking in a couple of minutes. And all the advocates. Give a round of applause to the advocates who've been fighting for this for a long time.

You know, you think about our New York State. We have the most beautiful waterways. It's where we enjoy families and gatherings, and you know, I think about Long Island's beautiful beaches, Orchard Beach...  Learned how to salsa there, sort of, sort of.

Coney Island, I was there right at the beginning of the season. Now, the water's a little cold, but for someone from Buffalo, it kind of felt warm. Brooklyn's McCarren Pool Park, and all the way from here all the way up to the North Country and the Great Lakes.

And so we have so many bodies of water, number one, and we love to recreate around them. And I think about that as I think about my parks superintendent or my parks commissioner, Erik Kulleseid, he also has been very focused on focusing on our state parks and how we can bring more swimming to them.

But these are sanctuaries that foster physical fitness, relaxation, fun, and having come across the hottest summer on record last summer, anybody remember that? It's hard to think about that today. It's a place that people can finally get some refuge from the scorching heat. It's so necessary. And we're going to have more and more of that with the ravages of climate change continuing as it is.

But sometimes if you don't know how to swim, what you think is a refuge, that break, can become a death trap in an instant, and it has tragedy for far too many New Yorkers. As I mentioned yesterday, we talked about how we can keep more infants alive right after they're born; let's focus on kids as they get older, keeping them safe.

You know, drownings in our state have reached record highs in the last couple years, claiming 230 lives in 2021 alone, the last year we have numbers for. All of them are preventable. Every single one of those young people should still be alive today.

And children are particularly vulnerable. Drowning is the leading cause of death for one‑ to four‑year‑olds in our country, and the second leading cause of death for five to 14‑year‑olds. Think about that. If children knew how to swim, there'd be thousands of more young people growing up in our communities, more families intact, enjoying life. It's every parent's nightmare to think that that could happen.

But here's the challenge: the pain is not shared equally among the population. Low‑income communities, communities of color, have suffered decades of disinvestment in swimming facilities. A lot of people didn't think it mattered. Some communities have phenomenal facilities, like I just saw here today, saw some wonderful kids having a great time learning how to swim.

But this is not available in every community, and there's dwindling options for lower, low‑cost or free swimming lessons. And now we also have, on top of this — the mayor remembers this from last year — we have a national lifeguard shortage. So, even when we do have the bodies of water, we have people who want to learn how to swim, we have a shortage of lifeguards.

So, the problem has been compounded. Now, we've given state lifeguards a raise, we stepped up training, but still municipalities are struggling to recruit and train new instructors. That means fewer swimming lessons are being taught to young people, less programming than ever before.

And what happens is, in communities of color where they're not learning how to swim, there's a higher rate of death due to drownings. Black Americans are one and a half times more likely to drown. Black children are three times more likely to drown.

It doesn't have to be that way. We can stop that. We have to do that. And I saw a story last summer that still shakes you in my core, when I think about this homeless family that was trying to escape the heat, they were in a Bronx shelter. They had to leave because there was an undergoing inspection as well, and the residents had to clear out.

It was one of those heat waves, it was about 90 degrees. And the mom said, let's make it a day at the beach with the kids. She took her teenaged sons to Coney Island. They thought it was an oasis, a place to escape, feel connected as a family, get them out of the shelter system.

The two brothers went swimming together in a place where the beach was closed, and all of a sudden one of the boys disappeared in the waves. A bystander tried to rescue him, another tried, but the current was too strong. And as a mom, I cannot imagine what it felt like to be the mom on the shore watching your child drown. The boy was a 10th grader. He had a lot of potential.

We can't let that happen anymore. We can't let that happen. We've got to end this tragic cycle. It's not just about making people love the water, it's making sure they're safe. They know how to handle that current. They know what to go into, how to handle that when [they're] swept with the waves. There are techniques you can learn.

So, what I want to do, as I've talked about every one of my planks in my proposal, let's focus on common sense solutions to everyday problems. This isn't complicated, my friends. So, I'm putting forth a plan to dramatically expand access to swimming, particularly in underserved communities. We're calling it New York SWIMS. That stands for Statewide Investment in More Swimming. I liked it.

It's going to expand our recreational opportunities and this is how we keep families safe. And first we're going to embark on a program of pool construction unrivaled since FDR's Work Progress Administration. We all know what FDR did, right? He was a governor first. I live in the house he used to live in.

He was governor a short time, but he started building here, and he personally turned to swimming for therapy. We all know he had polio. He knew the therapeutic benefits. When he had his polio diagnosis in 1921, he began swimming three times a week. They say it helped him a great deal. And within a few months, he started regaining some of his strings back.

So, he actually installed a pool and a little greenhouse behind the governor's residence. Guess where I swim every day? And I'm reminded that no matter what the challenges that I face as governor maybe, FDR had polio on top of everything else. So, that puts everything in perspective for me every day when I have a chance to be in that place.

So, swimming became an important part of FDR's life, and he also decided that we needed more pools in the city. He constructed 11 pools with people, he wanted to put people back to work during the Depression, the Works Progress Administration.

So, I say, let's follow that model. Let's build at least 10 more across the state. And this year we'll announce a $60 million capital grant program to fund 10 new landmark swimming pools in underserved communities. We're going to make that commitment right now.

Things have changed a lot since FDR. Where are we going to put a pool? A lot of New York has been built up since FDR was governor and the president, and since then, engineering has made a lot of strides. So, let's start getting creative.

So, this is something I know the mayor loves. We're investing another $60 million to develop and install innovative floating pools. Have you seen floating pools before? This is how you open up your rivers and waterways to the public. Yes, right over there. I was going to point with this arm, but it’s… 

So I'm pleased to announce that Mayor Adams and I are joining forces to advance a long‑stalled, much‑debated, but it's an innovative floating pool concept right over there. It's called Plus Pool, and it allows New Yorkers to swim in clean, filtered water right under the city skyline. The state will contribute $12 million, the city committed $4 million and we'll ensure that the pool will be open for testing next summer and for swimmers the following summer. So, how does that sound?

We also are going to have more options as it starts getting really hot and we have to take care of our people. And we are launching a $30 million fund to play pop‑up pools, above ground pools that can combat extreme heat at block parties, parks and events when the weather really requires it.

We'll make historic investments in swimming in our state parks. There you go, Mr. Commissioner. He's very happy to… Just in time for the centennial celebration. You know that New York State has the oldest state parks in the nation? Right? What's the oldest state park? Right, Niagara Falls.

Come on everybody, go visit Niagara Falls, too. So, today we're showcasing two of those products here as well. So, we can do this. We're restoring the Jones Beach East Bath House, the last major piece of infrastructure that has not been revitalized.

And it's a Sojourner Truth State Park. We're constructing a floating swim structure in a quarry lake. Amazing. And that's further transforming what was a site for cement production and brick making into a dynamic public space.

But pools and beaches need lifeguards, as I said, right? You can't open pools and swimming places without them and you can't teach people to swim without a lifeguard. So, what we're going to talk about is how we can have a grant program to help municipalities overcome these shortages and encourage wider access to public beaches and pools.

We're going to double the number of safety programs at all parks, state parks, and also directing SUNY to open their doors to the public to use their facilities to train more lifeguards as well. So, we're hitting on it all strides, my friends. We're trying to find every way we can.

Also want to fund transportation to get to the pools so we can reduce the barrier for children who have access to pools and beaches.

So, that's what we're looking at. And I want you to know how important swimming is to me. I love to swim, as you know, when I'm not working out in the gym doing dumb things. But there's a story I want to share with you that I've never told before, a little bit embarrassing, that's all right.

A lot of things I'm proud of: proud of being a mom, raising a couple of great kids, proud of being governor. But growing up in a family where my brothers were those superstar athletes, you know, captain of the football, baseball, basketball team, all four brothers.

Always walking in the door with these big trophies or ribbons or championships. Here I am, very unathletic. I really felt that I paled in comparison. My mom was never taught to swim. She didn't know how to swim. And my dad did though. He thought that all six of his children should learn how to swim.

So, our pool had a swim team. I was eight years old and they didn't have someone to compete in the 10‑year‑old boys and under competition. So, someone said, why don't you go over and try it out? I don't know, what have I got to lose, right? Even back as an 8‑year-old, I was kind of a risk taker. Why not?

I was persuaded to jump in and give it a try. I want to tell you this, I'm really proud. That day, I won my first and only athletic medal in my entire life. Here's the catch: it was second place, and there are only two of us in the pool. But that's… But that's, seriously, it's still a medal, right? Still a medal, right?

So, my view is, is no matter what the odds are, take the risk, jump in, and now I have a medal to show for it, so… And so today, swimming is still one of my greatest pleasures. I love it. I want every person to love it. I want every child to have access to this, and I want to keep more kids alive. Let's spare families the tragedy that too many have come to know.

So, with all that, I'm ready. Are you ready to jump in? Let's jump in. Let's do it!

So, and my great partner, my partner in doing everything we can to make this city vital, safer, stronger, and let's keep more kids alive and teach more kids to swim, and that is our great mayor, Eric Adams.

Mayor Eric Adams: Love that story. Love that story. Good to be up here among just, you know, so many great folks and colleagues and government from our congressional leader, our assembly persons, women, council persons. Good to see you all state senators as well.

You know, the governor really just touched on something that I think is so crucial that many of us don't really realize sometimes. We have normalized the inequality that is pervasive in our city, and we've normalized it.

You walk inside a classroom in a particular place in the city and ask, how many of you know someone who has been the victim of gun violence, and probably 80 percent of the class would raise their hand. And then you ask that same question, how many of you know someone who's a lifeguard? They will look around and probably ask the question, what is a lifeguard? Because we've normalized the inaccessibility of the resources of the city.

And then you go across town to the same place and actually, how many of you know someone that's a victim of gun violence, and not one person would raise their hand because they would think, why would someone be a victim of gun violence? And you say, how many of you know someone that's a lifeguard, the entire classroom would raise their hand.

And we have had a city that states, you don't get the quality of any new innovation unless you have gentrification to move into the communities. If you don't change the ethnic dynamics of a community, you don't get any of the nice things that come with it. Today we are saying no to that, and that's what this administration is all about.

Listen, like it or not, crime is down, jobs are up, and tourists are back. 62 million tourists are in this city, we're seeing exciting things that we expected, because we have a partnership with the governor of the State of New York and the mayor of the City of New York, and we're able to get it done.

Think about this, Plus Pool. You know how long we fought for this? Where's George Fontas? Is he here? George and I have been talking about this for years. We've had a city of no. Any new invention, everyone said no to.

This was an invention that was possible of being able to use our own waterways to find pools and communities who have historically been ignored. And so what the governor is doing with New York SWIMS, the largest investment since the New Deal, many of you probably missed that. She could have easily stated, let me open a new pool in some community somewhere, but she says no.

Not only must we open the pools, but we also must build up the pipeline for the next generations of lifeguards, which we have a shortage of. And then if you go look at the lifeguards, you don't see the diversity in the ranks of the lifeguards. So, now we are teaching young people how to swim earlier so that they can participate in of the benefits of being a lifeguard.

Transportation to the pools, using Plus Pools to go in communities that have been historically ignored. I joined an organization as borough president called Swim Strong where they were talking about the benefits of swimming, because the benefits of swimming is more than just knowing how to do a lap in the pool. It's a survival mechanism.

New York City is surrounded by water, folks, and our young people are not being taught how to swim. And it's becoming some of the leading causes of death through drowning or the inability to be able to swim.

This is a moment that if you just miss it, you would think that it was just talking about a new pool or new innovation. No, it's not. It is changing our mindset. Your ethnicity should not determine your destiny, and it should not determine what you should have in your community.

And it's a bold change. It's a different shift. Because historically, those who were in power had these things in their community, so they didn't see the normalization of the denial of communities who were not having this.

I didn't have a swimming pool in my community. I had a water hose and hopefully the fire hydrant was turned on. That was my pool. Coney Island is the Hamptons for my community. Riis Beach is Martha's Vineyard for my community. That is our Cayman Island.

So, until you have folks that came from places to understand how you can give things to people that need them, that is why it's important for all of us to be elected in office because no one understands what our communities need more than we understand what our communities need. But we know what our communities have been denied.

Kudos to you, governor, for this aggressive stance of making sure that we can diversify the resources and accessibility to the nice things that the city and state has to offer.

I'm happy for this moment, long fight since my days of borough president. We have a governor that got it done. Let's hop in and let's swim. Thank you very much. C'mon, Sister Reiss, co‑owner of AquaBeba.

Heidi Reiss, Co-Owner, AquaBeba: That's correct. Thank you so much, mayor. Appreciate you. Hello. First I want to thank on behalf of the New York Water Safety Coalition, Governor Hochul for her bold approach to reducing drownings in New York State.

I also want to thank Governor Hochul for signing the Hospital Video Law which will educate thousands of new parents about the hazards of drowning. The governor's work to reduce drowning is critical. The CDC provides that drowning is the leading cause of death for children under five, and the second leading cause of death for children ages five to 14. Each year, drowning kills about 4,000 nationwide, and that number has been increasing since the pandemic.

Drownings disproportionately affect children of color, children from low‑income families and children with special needs. The National Institute of Health has shown that the participation in formal swim lessons reduced the risk of drownings by 88 percent.

Drowning is a serious health crisis that affects New Yorkers across the entire state. We are so proud to have a leader of our state, Governor Hochul, leading the effort to eliminate drowning in New York. We thank you, Governor Hochul, for all of your efforts.

Now, here's my story. Throughout my earlier life, I've always loved water, but I never learned to swim. Conventional teaching methods did not work for me. As a result, I didn't learn to swim until my twenties. When I met my husband, a retired professional swimmer — opposites attract — he offered to teach me. Once he started teaching me, it clicked, and I learned to swim in just one lesson. After a lifetime of struggle, I was frustrated that it just took a more understanding approach to learn.

When I became pregnant with our first child, I was obsessed with her learning to swim from birth, and my husband wanted to make me happy. We decided to open a very small program, because at the time in Williamsburg there was very few pools and very few swim lessons and certainly none that applied to infants. We figured while we taught our daughter we might as well open it up to others. Once word spread to more and more families about an inclusive, patient teaching method, we expanded and AquaBeba was formed.

Through our efforts, we realized how difficult it was to find accessible pools, swim lessons, and even harder to find swim lessons that were adaptive to families, particularly those with special needs. We worked for years to find solutions, and even during the pandemic, when pools were shut down, we continued to work.

Through our work and in combination with the efforts of the New York Water Safety Coalition, it became clear that the lack of access to swim facilities for families and underserved communities who were at a much higher risk. We have seen Black and brown communities in our program who are fearful of entering the water themselves, but are so determined to teach their child that they brave it. We are so inspired by the dedication of those families who have overcome so many challenges to face their fears and learn to swim.

We are looking forward to working with Governor Hochul whose proposal to help eliminate those challenges and get families into pools is so critical. Safe, accessible facilities are so important to help Black and brown communities learn to swim and to reduce the number of drownings across our state.

From the families and the employees of AquaBeba, we thank you, Governor Hochul. We look forward to continuing our work with you to make sure that everyone has access to education and pools in New York State. Thank you.