Hot, sunny days. History-making dryness mixed in with predicted weekend rain. Questions about when pools will be open and whether there will be enough lifeguards.
If the calendar didn’t make it clear enough, it’s summer in Western New York.
That fact was highlighted Thursday when the City of Buffalo announced that five of its pools will open this summer, three outside and two indoors.
The three outdoor pools are Centennial, Kensington and Riverside Pool. The two indoor pools are Cazenovia Pool and Lovejoy Pool. The outdoor pools are set to reopen on July 1 and will remain open through Sept. 4.
During a news conference Thursday, Mayor Byron Brown noted that Buffalo was unable to open pools during the Covid-19 pandemic and the related lifeguard shortage.
“But that will not be the case this year,” he said outside of the Kensington Pool, which is undergoing a $2 million dollar renovation project.
The city was able to hire 73 lifeguards for the summer after carrying out a yearlong lifeguard recruitment initiative, according to Andrew Rabb, the city’s deputy parks commissioner.
Nekia Kemp, the executive director of the Buffalo Police Athletic League, said different entities worked to negotiate higher compensation for the lifeguards. The hourly wage for the lifeguards will be $20 per hour.
“Making the hourly wage $20 had a tremendous impact on making sure that these jobs were appealing to our youth,” she said.
Rabb and Kemp said that the city is still looking to hire additional lifeguards. Interested candidates can visit the city’s website or call PAL directly at 716-851-4615. As new lifeguards are hired, Kemp said the city will consider changing some of the pool’s hours and reopening up other pools in the city.
They noted that some lifeguards are unable to work 40 hours a week, which partly explains why some pools will not reopen.
“As we process additional guards, we will consider opening other…
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