BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — The wildly popular pop-up pool at Brooklyn Bridge Park will stay open for one more summer next year after the community rallied against its closure, officials said Wednesday.
This past summer was slated to be the pool's final season in the park, but petitions to maintain the pop-up pool until a permanent solution was in place have amassed more than 800 signatures, according to pool advocates.
"We've heard from the community, and are pleased to announce that the Pop-Up Pool will remain for one more summer season," Brooklyn Bridge Park President Regina Myer said in a statement.
"We all love the Pop-Up Pool, and keeping it for one more season gives us more time to pursue the best solution for everyone: a larger, permanent pool for Brooklyn Bridge Park. We look forward to working with the community and our elected officials to fund the permanent pool," Myer said.
Brooklyn Bridge Park had planned to turn the pool site into 3.4 acres of additional park land. Construction will be postponed while the pool remains open, park officials said.
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The pop-up pool, located near Pier 2, first opened in 2012 as a public amenity with swimming classes for children and a beach-like area. However, the pool was only supposed to run for five seasons as per a 2011 Memorandum of Understanding between the city, State Sen. Daniel Squadron and former Assemblywoman Joan Millman.
Squadron and community members of the group, Love Our Pool, have since been working to prevent its closure.
“The push for active recreation is about building a park that is great locally and across Brooklyn," Squadron said in a statement Wednesday.
"With the extension of the pop-up pool, and continued commitment to work towards a permanent pool, it’s great news that Brooklyn Bridge Park and the City now agree: Brooklyn Bridge Park should have a pool.”
Separately, a water-filtering floating pool has also been proposed for the East River.
