Here’s how NYC plans to keep New Yorkers cool this summer
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Spacious cooling centers, misting oases, open hydrants, and more
The days of a refreshing plunge in a public pool or a cold beer at a baseball game won’t be happening anytime soon in New York. And while many of the summer pastimes New Yorkers use to cool down are suddenly dangerous amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, that won’t stop the sweltering summer heat.
Last July was the tenth-hottest recorded in the history of New York City, and temperatures have already climbed into the 80s this May. To brace for another scorching summer, the city aims to set up “non-traditional cooling centers” at auditoriums, sports venues, and other spacious sites across the boroughs in areas hit hardest by COVID-19. NYC Parks will also create outdoor “misting oases” along with spray showers and the Department of Environmental Protection is in the process of creating a schedule to open hydrants.
“This is going to be a different summer from any summer we have experienced in the history of New York City,” de Blasio told reporters Friday at his daily news briefing. “This is all about protecting New Yorkers and helping them through the summer as comfortable as possible and as safe as possible.”
In anticipation of more New Yorkers staying indoors than ever before this summer, the city is launching a $55 million effort to provide air conditioners to low-income seniors. Officials will dole out more than 74,000 air conditioners, with 22,000 going to NYCHA residents, starting this month. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority is kicking in $20 million toward the initiative with the rest coming from city coffers.
New York City will also help subsidize the utility bills of 450,000 New Yorkers during the summer months, which are usually 20 to 30 percent higher due to air conditioning usage, the mayor said. De Blasio is also pushing the New York State Public Service Commission, which helps New Yorkers pay their summer utility bills, to double its contributions; that would translate to roughly $160 per household going toward utilities.
“For many low-income people, particularly people who have lost their paycheck, this could be a lot of what helps them get through the summer safely,” de Blasio said of the subsidies.
More immediately, New York City is continuing its crackdown on crowds at parks, including with NYPD patrols to limit access to Sheep Meadow in Central Park and Hudson River Park’s Piers 45 and 46 in Manhattan, along with monitoring Domino Park in Brooklyn.
Though the city will “reset” its approach to enforcing social distancing, the mayor said, with police breaking up crowds rather than issuing summons. The shift comes after complaints in recent weeks that police have unfairly targeted black and Latino New Yorkers for social distancing enforcement.
New Yorkers hoping to work on their tans at city beaches instead of parks this summer shouldn’t bet on it. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday that he is joining New Jersey, Connecticut, and Delaware to open state beaches by May 22 for Memorial Day weekend, with new social distancing rules, but it’s up to local governments whether they open their beaches. De Blasio said Friday that opening beaches by Memorial Day weekend “is not in the cards right now.”
Cuomo, however, did say that beaches in state parks, including Jones Beach and Robert Moses State Park on Long Island, which are a big draw for city dwellers, would be open.
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