Guilford County government has apparently worked out its severe lifeguard shortage problem.
On Thursday, June 16 the county put out official notice that the pools at the county’s parks would finally open with a regular schedule.
Guilford County Parks plans to open its three pools to the public daily starting on Saturday, June 18 for the season that’s expected to last until Sunday, August 14.
On Memorial Day this year, the county’s pools didn’t open as usual and, before the June 16 announcement county parks officials had implemented a limited schedule of operation based on the availability of lifeguards.
However, now, Bur-Mil Park, Northeast Park, and Hagan-Stone Park pool hours are Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.
On weekdays, the pools will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The daily entrance fee is $5 per person, while children under 2 years old get in free.
With temperatures in Guilford County climbing to near 100 degrees this week, there will be a lot of people who are thrilled the problem has finally been resolved.
There are some special hours in July as well.
On Monday, July 4, all pools will open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
On Sunday, July 3, Northeast Park Pool will open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to accommodate the fireworks event at that park, with festivities starting at 4 p.m.
In the county’s June 16 press release, Guilford County Parks Director Dwight Godwin spoke about the phased-in approach to pool openings the county undertook earlier this month. He also reiterated that safety was job one.
“The phased-in approach we adopted to address the nationwide lifeguard shortage gave our staff an opportunity to build a strong and effective team,” he said. “It’s vitally important that we’re able to maintain the safety of all our aquatic center visitors. We’re incredibly grateful for the positive response we’ve received from the community, and now we’re happy to announce the addition of weekday swimming hours.”
Guilford County Parks is still accepting applications for summer employment, including lifeguards. Information can be found at www.guilfordcountync.gov.
The salary for lifeguards starts at $15 an hour, and the salary for pool supervisors begins at $18.50 an hour.
For more information on Guilford County Parks pools, you can call 336-641-7275 or visit www.guilfordparks.com.
