Allegheny County pools open for swimmers again
Allegheny County’s swimming pools will be open for swimmers Tuesday.
It’s just in time for the high temperatures expected — Pittsburgh’s high is forecast to be 91 degrees, with a slight chance of thunderstorms.
All four pools will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., weather permitting.
On Monday, the county said staffing shortages prompted the closure of all four pools — Boyce Park, Settlers Cabin Park, South Park and North Park — for the day.
Monday’s high temperature in Pittsburgh was 91 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
Settlers Cabin Wave Pool will be closed on Sunday, June 27, 2021.
Additionally, Settlers Cabin, South Park, and Boyce Park Wave Pools, as well as North Park Pool will be closed on Monday, June 28, 2021.
Learn more about Allegheny County Pools https://t.co/s6NHhbjw1n pic.twitter.com/BeWDYBxnoz
— Allegheny County (@Allegheny_Co) June 26, 2021
The staffing shortage isn’t unique to Allegheny County. Pittsburgh officials also have been struggling to fill enough lifeguard positions to open all of its pools and Butler County officials are dealing with the same problem.
Allegheny County pays its lifeguards $14 per hour, a $3-per-hour increase over the $11 hourly rate it had paid in previous years. The county is currently seeking applicants.
Pittsburgh’s pay rate ranges from $11.09 to $15.76 per hour.
Although increasing pay may attract more interest, Pittsburgh Parks and Recreation Director Ross Chapman said there are a multitude of reasons for the shortage this year. He cited the many people who are pursuing summer travel plans as coronavirus pandemic restrictions end, limiting the availability of teens who generally fill the summer jobs.
Typically, 40 or 50 experienced lifeguards return each year to work for the city. But pools were closed in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. This year, the city has only been able to hire about 70 of the roughly 200 lifeguards it needs to open up all of the pools in the city.
Just eight of the city’s 18 pools are open because of the lack of staffing. City council members have been trying to work with other groups to find a solution to the problem and give more people access to pools this summer.
Pittsburgh City Council President Theresa Kail-Smith said fixing the problem needs to be a top priority so kids in the city have a safe summer activity.
She and Councilwoman Deb Gross have been working for the past three weeks to address the issue.
“The goal here is to provide more options this summer,” Gross said. “People do need safe outdoor recreation.”
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated three of the pools would be closed Tuesday.
Tom Davidson is a TribLive news editor. He has been a journalist in Western Pennsylvania for more than 25 years. He can be reached at tdavidson@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.