PITTSBURGH — With temperatures rising and the school year coming to an end, the City of Pittsburgh is opening multiple pools in the area through CitiParks.
June 18 will mark the beginning of swimming season with 11 local pools opening. City officials said that Ammon, Bloomfield, Hack Stack, Highland, Magee, Moore, Ormsby, Ream, Riverview, Schenley and Westwood pools will be available to the public.
City officials said that 107 lifeguards were recruited in order to open these pools.
“CitiParks has worked hard for Pittsburgh to improve upon last year’s swim season,” said Mayor Ed Gainey. “They have made great strides in onboarding lifeguards and opening more pools. I am proud of the work they have done for the people of Pittsburgh!”
The City of Pittsburgh typically needs around 180-200 lifeguards during the swimming season. Multiple other public pools in the area are also struggling to fill their staffing needs amid a lifeguard shortage.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Community pools prepare for Memorial Day weekend amid lifeguard shortage
“We are excited that we have been able to train, certify and hire additional lifeguards this summer in order to open more pools! However, it is important to note that staffing numbers are still lower than pre-pandemic levels. We will continue to work hard and hope to continue in this positive direction for years to come,” said CitiParks Director Kathryn Vargas.
While pools have hired workers to open, they do not have a high enough staffing level to offer additional activities such as swimming lessons, water aerobics or a swim team.
Season pool tags can be bought at the entry gates to the pools on opening day.
Pool conditions, capacity, attendance trends and the total number of lifeguards were examined before the pools were certified to open.