Pittsburgh residents will soon be able to beat the heat once again at some of the city’s public pools. After struggling to hire lifeguards, the city of Pittsburgh announced that a number of local pools will soon open.
A press release says that 11 Pittsburgh pools will open to the public on Sat., June 18. These include Ammon, Bloomfield, Jack Stack, Highland, Magee, Moore, Ormsby, Ream, Riverview, Schenley, and Westwood.
The number, while insufficient, does signal an improvement from 2021, when the city announced that only open eight pools would open on June 14, stating at the time that they had only received 70 lifeguard applications. All pools were completely closed in 2020 due to the pandemic.
The news came as a beacon of refreshing hope to some residents who had to go without their own neighborhood pool last year due to the lifeguard shortage, including Bloomfield. The city recruited 107 lifeguards this year, but typically needs 180 to 200 lifeguards to obtain full pool capacity.
“CitiParks has worked hard for Pittsburgh to improve upon last year’s swim season,” says Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey. “They have made great strides in onboarding lifeguards and opening more pools. I am proud of the work they have done for the people of Pittsburgh!”
To attract more lifeguards, the city increased salaries to anywhere from $16 to $18.50 per hour, according to a City of Pittsburgh Careers listing.
The city also announced that the Homewood Park renovation project, which includes the construction of a brand new pool in the community, is set to commence this summer, further impacting the pool season.
Some pools, even while open, still remain in limited operation. As the press release states, “staffing levels still remain too low to offer additional pool benefits, such as learn-to-swim lessons, water aerobics, and swim team.”
“We are excited that we have been able to train, certify and hire additional lifeguards this summer in order to open more pools!” says CitiParks director Kathryn Vargas. “However, it is important to note that staffing numbers are still lower than pre-pandemic levels. We will continue to work hard and hope to continue in this positive direction for years to come.”
This article appears in Jun 1-7, 2022.
