CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Chicago's 22 beaches open today.
Considering the weather, the lifeguards aren't going to be very busy. And the park district is still looking for hundreds of bodies to get up to proper staffing.
The Chicago Park District, like park districts everywhere, has found it challenging to fill lifeguard positions.
Alonzo Williams, chief of programming for the park district, told WBBM Newsradio that there is a multitude of reasons why it's been difficult with the COVID-19 pandemic being the biggest.
"We normally did our lifeguard apprenticeship program and that hasn't happened for the last two years. It didn't happen last year didn't happen this year due to COVID. We normally get a kids for our Junior Lifeguard program that didn't happen last year. And then obviously you got people who are just still nervous about you know, living in a COVID world," Williams said.
There are enough lifeguards for the beaches, he added.
Pools don't open until the end of June. There are hundreds of openings and hundreds of applicants and the deadline to apply is the end of June. Pay is over $15 an hour. Lifeguards have to be at least 16 years old.
William said the park district has had to get creative with outreach
