Covington Parks & Rec urgently needs to hire 10 more lifeguards to open its swimming facilities next week at full schedule.
“We’re just desperate,” Parks & Rec Manager Ben Oldiges said. “If we’re not at full strength, the hours our pools are open might be curtailed, or the schedule will have to be shifted, meaning that one or both pools might be closed a day or two each week. That’s the hard truth.”
The City and its contractor, SwimSafe Pool Management, are urging families to reach out to their daughters, sons, nephews, nieces – and those of friends and neighbors – who might need a job this summer.
“We need help,” he said.
The job pays $12-$13 an hour. If you’re not already certified as a lifeguard, SwimSafe will certify you for free and pay you a salary during that training. You have to be 15 years old or older, and there is no maximum age, Oldiges said.
The work week is 40 hours long, and the pools are scheduled to open June 11.
To apply:
• Go to www.swimsafepool.com.
• Call Covington Parks & Rec at (859) 292-2151.
• Stop by the Parks & Rec office at City Hall, 20 West Pike St., and fill out an application in person.
Oldiges said 50 lifeguards, pool attendants, and front desk workers have already been hired, but despite extensive advertising and outreach to schools, the swim workforce remains 10 lifeguards short.
The pools
• Covington has three water facilities: Olympic-sized pools at Goebel Park near MainStrasse Village and Randolph Park in Eastside and the zero-depth Latonia Water Park/Splash Pad at the Bill Cappel Youth Sports Complex.
• After being closed in summer 2020 because of the pandemic, the pools averaged 178 swimmers a day in 2021, and even that number was skewed downward by the rainy and cold weather in August. On one day early in the summer, 439 swimmers visited the pools.
• Meanwhile, 1,275 households containing 4,469 individuals registered for free pool passes. Those members secured 11,908 passes for guests.
• Covington families can register for a free pool pass now at FAMILY POOL PASSES. (You can also fill out a form during your first visit, but doing so now saves time.)
Given the pools’ popularity, Oldiges said it’s critical that the additional lifeguards are hired.
“Our pools are and have long been important parts of summer fun in Covington, and we want to keep that fun available this year,” he said. “But if we don’t have enough lifeguards, the simple reality is we can’t do that safely, and our families will suffer for it.”
