City on track with lifeguard hiring, director says

Great progress has been made in the hiring of lifeguards, Parks and Recreation Department Director Kimberly McNeeley told City Council at Tuesday’s work session.

In addition to the $20 per hour salary, McNeeley said those who complete their training and actually work as lifeguards can earn a $750 bonus. And anyone who completes the training – as well as surmounts numerous other hoops that include a criminal background check and instruction to prevent sexual harassment – will receive a $400 stipend, she said.

Last year, the hiring process was made more difficult because of glitches in the department’s automated hiring system that informed the majority of applicants they were not eligible. A report by the Office of the City Auditor blamed the automated system that PARD uses for many of the hiring problems.

The audit team “found that 95 percent of lifeguard applicants received notices that they were not selected for the position. These notices were not usually an accurate reflection of the applicant’s status. For example, 93 percent of the 422 lifeguards eventually hired by PARD received an inaccurate notice of non-selection.”

However, McNeeley said Tuesday that the system is working very well. She said that as of April 14 there were 299 lifeguards “ready to work right now.” In addition, McNeeley said another 167 future lifeguards have signed up for training.

McNeeley, who started with the city of Austin as a part-time swim coach and lifeguard, said she wants to make sure that lifeguards understand that they could have a long career with the city – and may even become director of the Parks and Recreation Department someday.

In addition to needing more lifeguards, the city is dealing with an aging infrastructure. Many of the city’s pools are 80 years old or older, McNeeley said, noting that the average life span of a commercial swimming pool is 25 to 30 years. With renovations, the pools can be used for many more years. She displayed pictures of two popular pools, Big Stacy in South Austin and Bartholomew in Northeast Austin, saying that each had been completely rebuilt.

PARD is also in the process of building a new pool at Colony Park and is in the permitting process for major renovations for Givens on East 12th Street, she said. In addition, Shipe Pool at 4400 Avenue G and Govalle in Southeast Austin, two of seven pools in critical need of renovations, have been rebuilt. Finally, McNeeley said pools in Montopolis and Northwest Austin are currently going through major renovations.

According to the city’s website, “On July 28, 1956, the Northwest Pool and Bathhouse opened to the public. The pool and bathhouse cost $200,000 to construct and were dedicated with great fanfare on August 9, 1956. The pool was the first 50-meter regulation Olympic-sized pool in Austin, which allowed the city to qualify for national swimming meets.”

Renovation of the pool is expected to start this fall, with completion in the fall of 2024. The pool was named after longtime city parks Director Beverly Sheffield, who held that position from 1946 to 1973.

Several Council members said they are very appreciative of the city’s splash pads, including Ryan Alter, who said he had taken his 2-year-old there recently. The city website lists all pools, as well as 11 splash pads. While the splash pads provide plenty of fun for Austin residents, McNeeley told Council that they also result in unique challenges for the department that must keep them operating.

Photo made available through a Creative Commons license.

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