Eleven public pools are now open in Cincinnati, up from just eight at the beginning of the season. But the ongoing lifeguard shortage means more than half of city facilities won’t open at all this year.
"I'm gonna go on the record and say that our goal is to open up all our pools next year," said Recreation Commission Director Daniel Betts. "There may be challenges, but we're going to work diligently to get past those challenges."
Bonus pay up to $2,000 per lifeguard helped recruit enough people to open more pools. Council Member Liz Keating says the bonuses helped a lot, but pay isn’t the only problem.
"What we saw is a lot of people who wanted to pass the certification class couldn't pass the swim test to get in," she said. "The city has very rigorous standards because we want to have the best guards to keep everyone safe. And if we don't have pools open and we don't have enough swimming programs to teach these kids how to swim, we're not going to have strong enough swimmers to be able to staff our pools in the future."
Keating got re-certified as a lifeguard this year so she could volunteer as needed at the city's pools. She said she's been working 10-12 hours a week.
Betts says he’s looking into an academy that would recruit and train lifeguards year-round with an indoor pool. And he wants to revisit a plan to increase the hourly wage for lifeguards, which is currently well below the wage for other local pools, including Coney Island and Kings Island.
Most pools are open until Aug. 13. Facilities in Northside and Pleasant Ridge will be open until Sept. 5.
Pools open this summer:
Not all pools listed here are open seven days a week. Check the CRC website for up-to-date information on operating hours.
Dempsey (Jun. 6 to Aug. 6)
Dickman (July 5 to Aug. 13)
Dunham-Otto Armleder (May 28 to Aug. 13)
Evanston (Jun. 6 to Aug. 13)
Hirsch-Otto Armleder (Jun. 6 to Aug. 6)
Lincoln (Jun. 6 to Aug. 13)
McKie (May 28 to Sep. 5)
Mt. Washington (July 12 to Aug. 13)
Oakley (May 28 to Aug. 13)
Pleasant Ridge (Jun. 6 to Sep. 5)
Spring Grove Village (July 19 to Aug. 13)
Nine stand-alone aquatic spray grounds are also open until Labor Day: Caldwell, College Hill, Dyer, North Fairmount, McKie, Oakley, Oyler, Pleasant Ridge, and South Fairmount.
Spray grounds are free and do not require memberships. They are open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
