Some beaches will also close while the city struggles with staffing.
Chicago Park District last week announced the opening of many indoor and outdoor pools for the summer months. Though it will be good news for many, and Park District has planned accordingly to give “Chicagoans access to safe swim options within 2 miles of their homes”, less than half of Chicago’s pools are opening to the public.
Of the 49 outdoor pools and 28 indoor pools managed by Chicago Park District, 22 outdoor and 15 indoor will open on Tuesday, July 5th. That means 37 out of the city’s 77 public pools will open — less than half — due to a lack of qualified lifeguards.
Mark your calendars! We're opening many indoor & outdoor pools 🤽♀️ citywide to give Chicagoans access to safe swim options within 2-miles of their homes.
Most pools will be open five (5) days a week from 11am to 7pm. For details, visit https://t.co/7W3x5kfMhb #ChiSwimStatus pic.twitter.com/oDuCXkOj5P
— Chicago ParkDistrict (@ChicagoParks) June 28, 2022
The Chicago Park District has only been able to hire just 55 percent of the lifeguards required to manage all facilities effectively and is now offering a $600 bonus and additional incentives for newly hired lifeguards. Anybody interested can apply here.
The lack of staff also means that some beaches will be forced to close including portions of Calumet Beach and North Avenue Beach while swimming will be prohibited at 12th Street Beach.
According to Chicago Park District superintendent, Rosa Escareño, the closure of certain beaches has been made in an effort to “maximize our limited workforce” and divert staff to public pools thereby ensuring that a pool is open within 2 miles of mos Chicago residents
The pools that have been staffed were chosen based on “geographical location, staffing requirements, and availability, the condition of the pool, historical usage, pool capacity, access to public transportation, and safety considerations.”
You can find out which pools are open near you here.[Featured image from Shutterstock]