ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — St. Louis Park Public Schools started summer break Thursday, and the city's Aquatic Park welcomed back families Friday with discounted admission and concession deals.
Lead lifeguard Harris Keekley also returned from college for another season at this pool where he grew up swimming, but says some changes were required this year before the younger kids arrived.
"We've been running with less stands open," Keekley said. "We had to close off the deep end for a lot of this past week because we haven't had enough staff."
The pool is fully operational now that some high school students are able to work, not being in school, but recreation superintendent Nikki Friederich said another 10 lifeguards are needed to be fully staffed this summer.
"We are offering a new lifeguard training class here," Friederich said. "June 16 and 17, so we're promoting that right now and still taking applications for the season."
The lifeguard shortage is nationwide. According to the American Lifeguard Association, more than half of the country's 309,000 public pools are reducing hours or closing due to a lifeguard shortage this year. One factor? The industry has relied on thousands of Eastern Europeans to work as lifeguards in the U.S. but their visas were paused during the pandemic. While the ban was lifted back in 2021, the pipeline hasn't caught up yet.
ALA recommends checking lifeguard staffing at pools and beaches before you visit and to provide constant supervision of swimmers, especially children, if there isn't a lifeguard on duty.
For example, Eagan's Schulze Lake Beach did not have a lifeguard on duty when it reopened Friday after temporarily closing due to a possible waterborne viral outbreak a few days prior. A couple of dozen people swam in the lake that Friday afternoon.
Back at the Aquatic Park, Harris and the others expect some progress in hiring now that Hennepin County has awarded St. Louis Park and three nearby cities a three-year grant to increase their collective lifeguard pool.
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