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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Kaitlin Krause, Founder and Executive Director of Rising Tide Effect, on Parks Department Funding and Water Safety
5:26:09
·
142 sec
Kaitlin Krause, representing Rising Tide Effect and the Water Safety Coalition, argues that chronic underfunding of the Parks Department is putting lives at risk, particularly in terms of water safety and drowning prevention. She urges the committee to restore and expand funding to modernize the city's approach to water safety.
- Emphasizes that water safety is essential, not optional, and that New York City is failing to meet public health and safety needs in this area.
- Highlights the consequences of budget constraints, including empty lifeguard chairs, canceled swim programs, and rising drowning rates, especially among children.
- Calls for increased investment in water safety education, aquatics, staffing, and public awareness, citing successful examples from other cities and countries.
Kaitlin Krause
5:26:09
Good afternoon, city council and members of the committee.
5:26:12
Thank you for the opportunity to speak today.
5:26:14
My name is Caitlin Krause, and I'm the founder and executive director of Rising Tide Effect.
5:26:20
I'm also the vice chair of the Water Safety Coalition.
5:26:23
I'm here today to stand firmly on the fact that continued cuts and chronic underfunding of the parks department are putting lives at risk.
5:26:32
Water safety is not optional.
5:26:34
It's essential.
5:26:35
And right now, New York City is ultimately failing to meet this moment in public health and safety.
5:26:41
The Parks Department is one of our front lines of defense when it comes to drowning prevention.
5:26:45
Yet year after year, it's being asked to do more with less.
5:26:49
These budget restraints leave it understaffed, under resourced, and unable to modernize or meet the scale of the need.
5:26:57
The consequences of these decisions are not abstract.
5:27:00
They show up in empty lifeguard chairs.
5:27:02
They show up in canceled swim programs or minimal available spots in classes.
5:27:07
And most tragically, they show up on the rising number of New Yorkers, especially our children, lost to drowning.
5:27:13
Now let's be clear.
5:27:15
This is preventable.
5:27:16
We're not waiting for a cure.
5:27:18
We know what works.
5:27:19
Cities and countries that invest in water safety education and aquatics and staffing and public awareness have seen drowning rates decline.
5:27:28
But here in the city surrounded by water, we've allowed the infrastructure that could save lives to erode.
5:27:34
New York City's beaches are often the only refuge for many New York families during the summer heat.
5:27:39
But when those beaches are left without lifeguards, when the parks department doesn't have the staffing or training pipeline, we're essentially saying you're on your own.
5:27:47
That's unacceptable.
5:27:49
Every drowning is a tragedy, but even more so when we know it could have been prevented.
5:27:54
Parks department should not be fighting for scraps stuck in perpetual state of survival mode.
5:28:00
As we continue to face climate challenge, climate changes, and increased storm surges, this is not a seasonal issue.
5:28:07
This is a year round public safety imperative that the administration and future administrations must take seriously.
5:28:13
I urge the committee and this administration to restore and expand funding to the parks, not only to maintain our vital green spaces, but to modernize our city's approach to water safety and protect the lives of New Yorkers.
5:28:26
Our children, our families, and our future deserve nothing less.
5:28:30
Thank you for your time.