NYC looks to activate outdoor pool space during the off-season
Astoria Pool. Photo courtesy of Global Jet on Flickr
New York City is looking for creative ways to repurpose outdoor pool space during the fall and winter. The city’s Parks Department on Thursday issued a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI), seeking innovative ways to reimagine six outdoor pool decks for recreation, services, programming, and concessions during the off-season, from October through March.
“Our city’s outdoor pools are an essential part of summer in New York, and NYC Parks is excited to keep those spaces active and engaging in the winter months with new pool deck programming,” NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue said.
“This is the first time we’re looking to open six of our pools simultaneously during the winter to create concessions that will enhance the off-season recreation options in our public spaces. We encourage proposers to think of new and exciting ways to use these locations to make spaces for connection, keep children and adults active, and provide New Yorkers with exciting and dynamic programming.”
The RFEI is looking for proposals for the following pools:
- Astoria Pool, Queens: This is the largest swimming pool in NYC. Parks is looking for plans to activate the diving pool plaza.
- Foster Pool, Bronx: This pool is located in a residential neighborhood and is easily accessible by public transportation. It features an intermediate-sized pool and a wading pool.
- Jackie Robinson Pool, Manhattan: Located in the designated historic Harlem Park, the pool is a beloved community hub that features an Olympic-sized swimming pool and is easily accessible by public transit.
- Hamilton Fish Pool, Manhattan: Located on the Lower East Side, the facility has both Olympic and wading pools with public restrooms in close proximity.
- McCarren Pool, Brooklyn: Featuring an Olympic-sized pool, the neighborhood surrounding the pool is a Special Mixed-Use District, containing residential and manufacturing areas.
- Thomas Jefferson Pool, Manhattan: Situated within a high-traffic neighborhood and easily accessible by public transit, the facility contains an Olympic-sized pool and a wading pool.
Submitted RFEIs should include the vision and goals for the project, as well as their qualifications and previous work. Additionally, projected revenue and expenses, community outreach and marketing plans, ADA compliance, security, and assembly and disassembly should be included.
If a proposal is considered realistic, Parks will begin soliciting concessions through a Request for Proposals. More information on the RFEI can be found here.
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