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Council member, parks department push to address city lifeguard shortage
AustinWater names interim director; city plans external audit of boil-water notice
With Austin’s lifeguard sta ng lagging ahead of swim season, City Council signed o on a plan to boost hiring e orts at the Parks and Recreation Department and allow all 33 city pools to open as usual this summer. Council’s approval of a resolution from District 8 Council Member Paige Ellis, who represents much of the city’s southwest side, includes incentives to bring on the hundreds of seasonal employees ahead of sum- mer. As of mid-March, the department had fewer than 140 of the 750 guards needed to fully sta city pools. “I know our residents are ready to jump back into their local pools with their families and friends,” Ellis
MAKING A SPLASH The Austin Parks and Recreation Department said it needs hundreds of lifeguards ahead of the 2022 season.
Austin Water is moving forward under new lead- ership as investigations into the February citywide boil-water notice continue. On March 29, Austin Water released ndings from its internal investi- gation con rming earlier reports that members of the three-person night shift at Ullrich Water Treatment Plant did not properly respond to system failures or alert supervisors about water-quality concerns. On March 30, City Council’s Audit and Finance Committee directed sta to move forward on an agree- ment with The University of Texas for an in-depth,
external audit of
Ready to work as of early spring
Total seasonal hires
the utility’s operations, sta ng and recent string of boil-water notices. Former
700 600 500 300 400 100 200 800 900
Robert Goode
0
Director Greg Meszaros, who tendered his resigna- tion in February, stepped away from Austin Water on April 9. Former Assistant City Manager Robert Goode took over as an interim replacement April 11. City Manager Spencer Cronk said he will soon launch
2017
2018 2019
2020 2021
2022*
*Goal for total hires
SOURCE: AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
said. “However, we are facing a critical lifeguard shortage, and we won’t be able to open all of our pools or keep our residents safe if we can’t train enough life- guards in the next couple of months.”
Southwest Austin pools such as Dittmar and Dick Nichols were closed over the past two years due to sta ng issues. Barton Springs Pool is operating on a limited schedule due to lifeguard constraints.
a national search for a permanent director.
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COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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