Pittsburgh may need to reevaluate city pools, official says

Pittsburgh officials are still recruiting additional lifeguards in an effort to open all of the city’s pools this summer, and spray parks are slated to open next weekend.

City Council President Theresa Kail-Smith acknowledged it’s been difficult for the city to recruit enough lifeguards.

Kail-Smith said she’d like to see the city try to come up with new recruiting methods. She suggested exploring partnerships with local universities that could offer credits to students who work as lifeguards. She said she was “reluctant” to remove the city residency requirement because she felt there should be “incentives to stay” in the city.

Given the challenges, Kail-Smith said it might be time to reevaluate the city’s pools. She suggested the city could move away from the model of having a dozen pools scattered throughout the city and instead consider opening one water park in each region of the city to alleviate the need for more lifeguards and provide an easier solution to maintaining many pools, some of which are older.

“I think it’s an honest conversation we have to have with the public about what we can and cannot do,” she said.

The city has a lifeguard training class taking place, said Olga George, a spokeswoman for Mayor Ed Gainey. About 30 more applications are being processed.

Last week, spokeswoman Maria Montaño said the city needed 40 or 50 more applicants to open all of the city’s pools.

“We’re moving forward to get as many of the pools open this summer as we possibly can,” she said. “It’s always contingent on us having enough trained lifeguards to do that.”

If all 30 applicants being processed now are able to work as lifeguards, it appears the city would be about 10 to 20 lifeguards short of the 155 lifeguards needed to open all of the city’s pools.

“We continue to reach out for more individuals to apply for this needed position,” George said Monday.

Pay for new lifeguards starts at $16.48 an hour and can go up to $19.05 an hour depending on experience. Prospective lifeguards must be at least 16 years old by Sept. 5, vaccinated against covid-19 and city residents. Applicants also must be willing to work at any of the city’s pools.

George said city officials haven’t yet decided when Pittsburgh’s pools will open for the summer. Last year, she said, pools opened the Monday after Pittsburgh Public Schools graduation. This year, the school district’s commencement is June 17.

In the meantime, George said, the city is planning to open spray parks beginning Saturday. Hours of operation will be 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. over the Memorial Day weekend.

Weather permitting, spray parks will be open at Arlington Playground, Vanucci Playground in Beechview, Burgwin Playground in Hazelwood, East Hills Park, Paulson Playground in Lincoln-Lemington, Mellon Park in Shadyside, Cowley Playground in Troy Hill and Warrington Playground in Beltzhoover.

Related:

• Lifeguard shortage puts opening of all Pittsburgh pools in jeopardy