May 30, 2007

Free swimming pool to open on East River for July 4

A free, floating swimming pool and beach will open on the East River just below Brooklyn Heights for the summer, a spokeswoman for the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy today told NewYorkolgy.

Plans call for the floating swimming pool and beach to open in time for the Fourth of July weekend, according to Nancy Weber, the director of marketing and communications for the conservancy. (There is a slight chance of a delay, but the location is certain, she said.)

The pool will be situated between Brooklyn's piers 4 and 5 near the intersection of Joralemon and Furman streets, map, with a beach area, sand volleyball courts, sand soccer grounds, cabanas and beach chair rentals. Concessions will be handled by the same team that handles food and drink at the Water Taxi Beach in Queens and Schnack restaurant in Brooklyn.

The pool will have a capacity of 175 people at a time, but the beach area will accommodate up to 1,000. They hope to keep the beach and pool open until Labor Day.

"It's just for this summer. We'll see how it goes and figure out next year a little later on," she said.

The conservancy isn't alone in making the pool publicly available for the summer. Webster also credited the Neptune Foundation, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation, the office of the Brooklyn borough president and the New York City Council. (The floating pool is currently docked between piers 2 and 3 on the Brooklyn waterfront, facing Lower Manhattan.)

The city's 51 other free outdoor public pools are scheduled to open June 29. The city's beaches have already opened for the season.

May 30, 2007 03:21 PM in Cheap Stuff, Foodology, Kids, Out of Manhattan, Sports

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