It’s been decided: The Heights Family Aquatic Center in Richardson is staying closed for the entire summer.
"We have a shortage of lifeguards," said Greg Sowell with the City of Richardson. "To manage that shortage, we're having to cut back on hours and days of operation at our facilities."
Sowell said the city delayed the decision as long as possible as the city worked to find lifeguards, but in the end, it wasn’t enough.
"It's a matter of safety," Sowell said.
The lifeguard shortage is a national problem impacting several other cities here in North Texas. Fort Worth just announced that it’s closing the Forest Park and Marine Park pools every Monday through Wednesday. Mesquite is having to reduce its pool hours for the same reason.
"We don't know the cause for the shortage," Sowell said. "But we're doing everything we can to attract more lifeguards."
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