Last summer, a shortage of lifeguards meant the city of Pittsburgh could operate only 8 out of its 18 owned pools. But this year, things are looking up for those who may want to take a dip.
"I can confidently say we are in a better situation than we were in last summer," said Kathryn Vargas, director of the city's Parks and Recreation Department. "So we will be able to open more pools. That said, we are still actively training [for life guards]."
Vargas said the number of lifeguards they get this year will directly affect the number of pools the city opens. That number will be more than 8, though Vargas says the city will not be able to open all 18 pools.
Before the coronavirus pandemic struck, Vargas said the city would hire between 140 to 150 life guards for the season. This year the city hopes to hire around 100 guards.
But residents will have to wait until mid-June to take advantage. Many of the life guards the city uses are students and school staff, and so the city follows the Pittsburgh Public Schools calendar. The last day of school at PPS is June 16.
"[June] 18th is our target for opening pools," Vargas said.
But in the meantime, she said, spray parks at city playgrounds will be open for Memorial Day weekend.
Vargas said that as an incentive for lifeguards, the city is offering a starting wage of $16 an hour, and could pay up to $18.50 an hour. That's a sizable jump from last year's salary of about $11 an hour, according to City Councilor Deb Gross.
"We had city life guards going and taking summer jobs in other municipalities because they were paying $15 an hour and we were not," Gross said.
As long as someone is 16 years old by September 6, they are eligible to become a lifeguard. The city is also paying for required certifications and state clearances.
"We're really trying to make this an opportunity that's low-barrier and easy for someone to explore," Vargas said.
Last year, city pools saw a total of 95,641 guests, and the larger the pool, the more staff is required.
Gross said it was especially frustrating last year that so few pools opened, because officials only discovered the scope of the lifeguard shortage late into the hiring process.
"You can still apply to be a life guard," Gross said. And the more guards, the better, she added. "This is one of the reasons they won't commit to saying how many pools will open."
