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QUESTION

How can nonprofit organizations access pools for swim programs in New York City?

0:19:44

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NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue explains the constraints in providing access to nonprofit organizations for swim programs due to the priority of public access and the requirement for free programming.

Parks Department seeks to partner with nonprofits but faces constraints in facility usage.
Priority is given to public access for existing swimming programs and senior swim.
All Parks Department swim programs are free, which is a significant constraint.
The main issue with providing access to nonprofits is ensuring programs remain free and open to the public.

Shekar Krishnan

0:19:44

So as as I was just saying, I think in order to solve this crisis, we have to think creatively and ambitiously about how we open up and access more pools, which will lead to more swim instruction, more access for New Yorkers.

0:19:56

As I understand, we have the parks pools.

0:19:59

We have DOE school pools.

0:20:02

There are collaborations between Parks and DOE for programs in DOE pools.

0:20:07

Of course, Parks runs its own swim programs within Parks Tools.

0:20:11

But what that seems to be leaving out is a whole pool, no content of nonprofit organizations that do this work, that provide swim instruction, do they have access to either Parks pools for swim programs or to DOE pool tools for programs?

Sue Donoghue

0:20:32

Thank you, council member for the question.

0:20:34

And again, I can just speak to the Parkside of things.

0:20:37

And we are always looking for opportunities to partner with nonprofit organizations, and we do that extensively across the park system.

0:20:46

We are constrained by trying to provide as much access for the public, for our existing swim programming, for senior swim for lap swimming.

0:20:55

And so we have constraints on our own, the use of our facilities.

0:20:59

And then there's also As we have discussed, constraints around all of our swim programming is free and that we offer in our rep centers and facilities that's really important to us in terms of access.

0:21:13

And so that generally tends to be the issues.

0:21:15

We would just want to make sure that the program that is provided through our facilities is free and open to the public.

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Can nonprofit organizations access parks for free swim programs?