MACON, Ga. — For the last several summers, kids in Macon had their towels, pool toys, and sunglasses ready for the pool, but sometimes, when they got to the recreation center, they didn't need their summer accessories. The pool was closed.
Since the pandemic, Macon-Bibb County says they've struggled to find enough lifeguards for the summer season.
The county wants to change that this summer. Tuesday night, the commission voted unanimously to bring in a private company to help.
“It's very disappointed when you can't open a pool in a certain neighborhood,” said Robert Walker, director of the county’s recreation department.
Walker says the shortage forced them to rotate schedules for when certain pools would be open.
“Some were open on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. Some may only be open Monday, Wednesday, Friday... just whatever we could do to get the pools open with limited staff,” Walker said.
It left some of the pools open for three to maybe even five days a week in years past.
Walker says they needed 33 lifeguards to run the county's six pools, but they never got up to full staff-- even after raising the pay.
“We did increase our pay to $14 an hour last year. We did get a new group of lifeguards to come in, but we have not seen a lot of those lifeguards return,” Walker said.
As we splash into another summer season, the county is bringing in a private company, Lifeguard and Aquatic Management Services.
Walker say under their contract, all functioning county pools along with parks at Lake Tobesofkee will be fully staffed with lifeguards.
The company comes with an over $360,000 price tag for the summer, but Walker says it's well worth the money.
“They have a workforce already there that they can pull from, in the case of someone calling out sick or someone wanting to go on vacation. Those are things that we struggle with,” Walker said.
Walker says this company will also train the lifeguards.
The county will still be in charge of keeping the pool clean and ready to swim in.
Five county pools are set to open up Memorial Day weekend, Saturday, May 27. The full schedule of days and hours are being finalized.
However, one pool, Bloomfield's, will remain closed. The county says it has a broken pump. There's no word on when that will be fixed.