Rec department looking for more lifeguards

At last week’s Park Board meeting, the department head reported the lack of qualified lifeguarding staff has been causing problems.

Parks and Recreation director Kate Thomas explained last Wednesday that Wrangell’s public pool operates 63 hours per week, requiring 105 lifeguard hours to operate. While 10 available staffers would be ideal, the department currently only has four to try and cover shifts. Both herself and the assistant director have been spending up to half their time filling in at the pool.

The pool is the most heavily used amenity at the recreation center. Over the past calendar year, the highest proportion of users has been in the wintery months of January and February, reaching a peak of over 1,300 users in March. While usage dips to about half that by July, pool use remains by far the most popular pastime for facilities users.

Managing this asset safely has therefore been problematic. In her report, she identified some factors contributing to the staffing situation. One is low starting wages for pool staff, which when coupled with odd hours makes lifeguarding positions less enticing to would-be applicants. Long-term lack of a swimming program for school-age youths and an inconsistent lesson plan program has also led to a lack of qualified applicants within the local population.

In the shorter term, Thomas proposes increasing wages, which at the moment starts at $9.80 an hour. Comparatively, this is lower than neighboring communities’ pool programs, with those starting out in Craig earning $10.55 an hour, in Petersburg at $11.41, and in Haines at $12.63. The opportunity for raises in those communities is also higher, with Wrangell’s table topping out for regular lifeguards at $13.40 and its head lifeguard at $13.80.

She would also like the department to redouble its recruiting efforts, in part by adjusting the shift schedule to allow for longer hours. Both that and a wage increase would require a budget amendment to be approved by the Parks Board and Borough Assembly.

Additionally, all incoming staff members would be either encouraged or required to obtain a lifeguard certification. Some shifting of duties would be involved, reducing some programming to allow for a better balance on aquatics and other recreational activities. Put before the board, a revised schedule reducing evening hours on Fridays and adding time to operating hours on Mondays and Wednesdays was adopted, to be put into practice at a later date.

In the longer term, building on swimming programming at the school levels could increase available lifeguard candidates. Wrangell Swim Club already has several dozen participants from among elementary and middle school aged children, and reached a point where it was able to begin swimming competitively late last year.

The cultivation of a swimming group for the high school would be a next step, and Thomas suggested seeking a cooperative arrangement with the school district to develop such programming. Developing a sustainable water safety program aimed at youth was also listed as a goal.