‘Lifeguard crisis’ averted, but training will take a few days

COVINGTON, Ky. – Covington Parks & Recs’ “lifeguard crisis” was averted thanks to an 11th-hour marketing and hiring blitz, but training time will require a staggered start to the pool season for its first four days.

Due to the temporary shortage of certified lifeguards, here is the swim schedule for Saturday-Tuesday:

• The Olympic-size pool at Goebel Park near MainStrasse Village will be open Saturday but then closed for three days.
• The Olympic-size pool at Randolph Park in Eastside will be open Sunday and Tuesday but closed Saturday and Monday.
• The zero-depth Latonia Water Park/Splash Pad at the Bill Cappel Youth Sports Complex will be open all four days (since its staffing needs are different).

“If everything goes according to plan, we should be good to go with all three facilities open from Wednesday on,” Parks & Rec Manager Ben Oldiges said. “Considering what’s going on with pools around the region and around the country, we’re actually doing really well and feel good to be in the position we’re in.”

From Wednesday on, all three facilities will be open noon-6 p.m. seven days a week until Aug. 7.

Like swimming facilities around the country, Covington was having an extremely difficult time finding enough lifeguards to fully staff its pools. As of last week, the City still needed 10 lifeguards to open all three facilities.

But a last-second marketing blitz – and help from residents – paid off.

The City and its contractor, SwimSafe Pool Management, received a deluge of applications over the last week and had over 30 people alone apply during a special hiring event on Thursday of this week.

Applicants will spend Sunday through Tuesday being certified, Oldiges said.

“This is a win for Covington,” he said. “I saw everybody from City Commissioners to the schools to local parents spreading the word on social media. It just shows the popularity of the pools and the sense of community we have in Covington. To everybody who pitched in and helped recruit, I say ‘thank you.’ You’re part of what makes The Cov special.”

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Admission to the pools is free for Covington residents, but you must have a pass. You can register at FAMILY POOL PASSES to get a pass, plus guest passes. (You can also fill out a form during your first visit, but doing so on-line ahead of time saves time.)

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