The opening Minersville’s swimming pool for the 2024 season may be in jeopardy if the borough can’t find enough lifeguards to staff it.
On Tuesday evening, borough officials took a step they hope will alleviate the short-staffing situation. Borough Council unanimously approving raising the hourly wage for pool lifeguards from $8.50 per hour to $12.
Right now, Minersville only has 3 or 4 lifeguards signed on to work the 2024 season, according to Borough Manager Robert Mahalchick.
“We’re struggling bad,” he told council members on Tuesday evening.
He added that the pool needs at least 5 lifeguards to open. And even with that bare bones staff in place, there’s a greater risk that the pool couldn’t operate if one or two lifeguards get sick, need time off, or are unavailable.
The borough’s goal is to have a staff of at least 10 lifeguards.
Council members agreed to the raise when they realized the wage they were paying lifeguards just wasn’t competitive with other public swimming pools in Schuylkill County.
They said Pottsville pays $10 per hour and Frackville pays $13 per hour.
In addition to the $12 hourly rate, the borough is also offering a $150 bonus to lifeguards who work a number of hours based on an average of a 3-week time span, as determined by the Borough Manager.
The borough arrived at that bonus pay rate based on the cost of becoming a certified lifeguard.
Mahalchick said he’d like to get a raise approved for the pool’s manager at the council’s June meeting.
For more information about the lifeguard positions available and general information for the Minersville pool, follow this link.
You can download the lifeguard application below and submit it to the Borough office at 2 E. Sunbury St. in Minersville.
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