NYC Council mulls extending beach, outdoor pool season extra 2 months — but critics warn it would drain budget

A Queens pol wants to stretch the Big Apple’s beach and pool season by two months.

However, the head of the city Parks Department threw cold water on the plan Friday, saying it would be a huge drain on the city’s budget.

The bill, introduced Wednesday by Democratic City Councilman Shekar Krishnan, would mandate the city keep public beaches and outdoor pools up and running annually from the second Saturday in May through the second Sunday in October, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

Currently, beaches operate with lifeguards on duty 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, from Memorial Day weekend through the Sunday after Labor Day in early September.

Outdoor pools are typically open from late June until early September, and the hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

During a hearing Friday, Krishan pitched his legislation as part of a larger plan to cool off New Yorkers, including building more pools and finding funding to offer people more free swim lessons.

“It’s a matter of choice, and I think it’s an investment that would benefit all New Yorkers,” said Krishan, who chairs the parks committee.

However, NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue said the plan “would present very substantial budgetary and operational challenges” for her agency.

“We are very proud of our extensive lifeguard recruitment efforts,” she testified. “But the stark reality is that we still face a very challenging environment for hiring, which means that the expansion of the beach and pool season and operating hours proposed by the legislation is unlikely to be feasible any time in the foreseeable near future.”

The Parks Department maintains 14 miles of beaches and 53 outdoor pools.

City indoor public pools, which operate year-round, are not affected the legislation.