After a plea for lifeguards and the added perk of paying for their training, Concord was able to open a majority of its pools this summer.
The city was able to hire 26 lifeguards, compared to the normal number of 40 that is required to fully staff all seven city pools.
Pools at Rollins, Keach, Merrill and Rolfe parks are now open. Kimball pool will be opened when additional staff are hired, said David Gill, director of Concords Parks and Recreation Department. White Park and Garrison will remain closed this summer.
Part of the problem stems from the pools being shut down during the pandemic, which stopped the normal flow of lifeguards from getting certified, a process that takes several days of training. Another issue is simply getting people to apply.
With New Hampshire’s lowest-in-the-nation unemployment rate of 2.5%, seasonal businesses in New Hampshire like summer camps and water parks have struggled to find staff.
One solution was to raise wages.
At Water Country in Portsmouth lifeguard wages were raised to $16 per hour, up $3 an hour from previous rates. The park even offered a $100 bonus to employees who refer a friend to the job, according to SeacoastOnline.com.
“Without a doubt, it’s difficult for everyone to find employees right now,” said Matt Hehl, Water Country’s general manager. “But we raised wages to compete for the type of people we believe make good lifeguards.”
Raising wages wasn’t part of the equation in Concord, where lifeguards earn between $10.89 an hour to $12.76.
Gill said wages had been last increased two years ago, but may need to be increased in the future.
“I think with COVID and a low unemployment rate a lot of people even for seasonal help are paying $13, $14, $15 an hour and we are not there, so I think that is something that we will look at, other ways that we can attract good qualified applicants for years to come,” Gill said.
The city of Concord recently approved a budget of $109.3 million for the next year. Giving every lifeguard a $3 an hour raise would cost the city less than $25,000 a year, which is about two-hundredths of one percent of total city spending.