West Side's Memorial Pool remains closed due to shortage of lifeguards

Date: 7/2/2021

WEST SPRINGFIELD – Due to lifeguard staffing constraints, one the town of West Springfield’s pools remains closed.

The town opened Alice Corson Pool, located at 373 Main St.,  for public swimming on June 27 and it will be open until Aug. 15. The pool’s hours are 1 to 7 p.m., seven days a week.

Memorial Pool at 51 Smyrna St., however, is not open.

In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic forced the West Springfield pools to remain closed. With this year’s outcome unpredictable, Victoria Connor, director of West Springfield Parks and Recreation (Parks and Rec.) said it wasn’t until the end of April, early May, when they knew they’d be reopening in 2021. Once they were certain, the Parks and Recreation Department began a campaign to recruit lifeguards.

Connor said Parks and Rec. has two summer program veteran staff which they’ve paid to receive their lifeguarding certification to teach life saving classes. With their training, they are able to run a lifeguarding course offered to the community.

“Anyone who signed up and worked all summer would be reimbursed for the class,” Connor explained.

With this class, Parks and Rec was able to hire some lifeguards. Through Connor’s efforts, she offered another class that finished on June 20. Thirteen of the 14 people passed.

Connor said all 13 people intend on lifeguarding for the town, however, the majority range between 15 and 16 years of age. With this younger age group, Connor said they aren’t interested in working a 40 hour week and aren’t available all the time.

As of press time, the town has about 20 lifeguards on paper. Only four to five of those people are 18 years or older, and willing to work whenever needed. Connor plans to have this handful of employees as the “core staff” at Alice Corson Pool. At Memorial Pool, the staff will be determined based on availability.

Per every 25 people in the pool, one lifeguard is assigned. On average, Connor said there are four lifeguards on duty at a time. She remains hopeful that they will be able to offer at least four to five days a week at Memorial Pool, shortly.

According to Connor, summer camps aren’t swimming right now, nor are they mingling camp groups with the general public.

“They want to keep cohorts the same,” she claimed.

She added, “Typically, Camp Centrum goes to Memorial Pool, but until there is staff, they won’t go.”

Parks and Rec. is paying close attention to the rules and regulations as they are constantly shifting, Connor said, adding she has seen her peers on social media nationwide struggling to staff lifeguards.

Everyone is in the same boat … it’s just a fallout from COVID,” she said.

She went on to say, with the ongoing uncertainty of reopening, lifeguards took other job offerings.

Although Connor believes this will be a challenging summer, she assured, “As we got through COVID, we’ll get through this, too.”

Parks and Rec. is still accepting applications for anyone who already has their lifeguarding certification. At the time, Connor is not ready to offer another class, unless there are a lot of people who show interest. She encourages people to apply.

To submit a lifeguarding application, visit www.townofwestspringfield.org or call Parks and Rec. directly at 263-3284.

Connor said the pools’ hours and dates will be adjusted and reassessed every  two weeks  as they continue to recruit and hire more lifeguards.

West Springfield’s pools are open to town residents at no cost with proof of residency. Examples of proof include valid West Springfield photo I.D., utility bill, or a child’s PowerSchool Dashboard. If this proof is not presented at the time of entry, a non-resident fee will be charged.

Non-residents are welcome to utilize the town’s pools for a daily fee and a photo ID is also required. Daily fees for non-residents are as follows: Children 0 to 2 – no charge; Children 3 to 15 years old – $3 per day, per person; Adults 16 years of age to 55 years – $4 per day, per person; and seniors 56 and older – $2 per day, per person.

For any updates on the pool's hours/days of operation, visit the official town of West Springfield’s Facebook page.