GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Summer is right around the corner, and local pools are just a few weeks away from being filled. But staffing those pools isn’t as easy as it once was.
“Its looking pretty good,” says City of Green Bay Recreation Manager Ann Moeller about the upcoming summer outlook. “We’re not fully staffed yet, but we are at that time of year where application numbers are starting to increase with the nicer weather, college students are starting to think about summer as they’re coming home, so we are still hiring lifeguards.”
Moeller tells FOX 11 they still need more than a dozen lifeguards to help staff the three city pools this summer.
While they’re getting closer to their staffing goal, those looking to take a dip may not see all three pools open come June 8.
“We do anticipate having all three pools open eventually,” Moeller adds. “Like in summers past, we might have a delay of a start or we might have to be closed a few days at the beginning part of the summer while we certify our new staff but we do anticipate all three facilities opening and running.”
Even though they have seen improvements, Moeller says after COVID, hiring lifeguards isn’t what it used to be.
“There’s a lot of things that have changed since 2020, now, one of the biggest things we’re noticing is that we need a lot more people to operate our facilities than we have in the past. The number of hours especially our teenage staff is looking to work has decreased as to what they used to want to work,” Moeller adds.
“We are still digging out of that hole that we had in that time of the pandemic where certifications weren’t renewed because you couldn’t find a class, you couldn’t do in-person training, so those lifeguards we had at that time all started doing different things and so we were in a pretty bad deficit of staff. We are still rebuilding from that, we’re in a much better spot, we’re getting there but we still feel the effects of that.”
The story is the same at local YMCAs, too.
“There are far fewer applications, typically in the month of May, especially for aquatics, we would see a huge influx, we don’t really see that anymore,” says Stephanie Kaufman, the YMCA Senior Aquatic Director. “It’s kind of; we have to start getting those people through the school year and having them stay throughout the summer.”
Kaufman says the majority of lifeguards they hire are teens, and they know they’re competing with extracurriculars, vacations, and high school sports.
But since COVID, their application numbers have been way down.
“I would say we are probably getting 20% of the applicants we were getting prior to COVID,” she adds. “Prior to COVID, I could come into work just about any day and have an application for one of the many positions I was hiring for, not just aquatics but other departments as well, now if I get an application every other week I’m elated and excited.”
Kaufman says they have enough staff to keep all four facilities in Brown County operating, but it isn’t easy. Kaufman herself is taking on multiple roles at multiple facilities.
For those interested in a position with the YMCA, visit their website here.
For those interested in a position with Green Bay’s city pools, visit their website here.
Both facilities will pay for the certification of lifeguards who seek employment with them.
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