LIFEGUARDS NEEDED AT BLUE BELL AQUATIC CENTER

  

The Blue Bell Aquatic Center is in need of additional lifeguards for the summer.

Aquatic Supervisor Tammy Jaster says at this time, the aquatic center has hired 65 employees for the summer, compared to between 80 and 120 during a normal summer.

Jaster says the problem of not having enough lifeguards is not exclusive to Brenham.

 

Jaster says the reasons for the shortage of staff vary, but many are related to the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.  She said the aquatic center is normally able to retain lifeguards from year to year, but closures and reduced hours did not allow many lifeguard training classes to be held.  In addition, not being able to visit high school and college campuses to seek applications means it has been harder for the aquatic center to reach what Jaster calls its “target audience.”

As a result of fewer employees on hand, operating hours and the number of programs available have been reduced.  Jaster, however, remains optimistic and says pools will be opened based on the number of employees currently available.

 

Current hours for the Blue Bell Aquatic Center from Monday to Friday are 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. for the indoor pools, and 12:30 to 6:30 p.m. for the outdoor leisure pool.  All pools are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

The aquatic center is still accepting applications and will continue to hire as long as it can offer certification classes.  For more information, visit www.cityofbrenham.org.