Workers returning to school means not enough available to run pool
By Mike Ramczyk
With great facilities come great responsibility.
And gone are the days of one pool, a couple lifeguards and a few front desk staff.
The city of Burlington has been blessed with one of the most game-changing community pools in the state of Wisconsin, and expectations ramped up in the summer of 2018 for the Burlington Community Aquatic Center.
Highlights included record sales, out-of-county memberships and even out-of-state visitors, not to mention special movie nights and numerous private parties and swim lessons, but all good things must come to an end.
With the pool’s closing set for Saturday, Aug. 25, Director of Operations Jeanne Otter said it’s been a struggle to find warm bodies to work for three weeks now, but that doesn’t undermine the bigger picture.
“We worked really, really hard to do a lot of great things,” said Otter Friday afternoon over the phone. “Everyone’s going back to school, and it’s been hard to get shifts covered. It’s been a real struggle. It’s a huge transition from the old pool.”
“But I put my heart and soul into this place, and absolutely nobody would’ve predicted this summer’s success. Every day, people are leaving this place and thanking me for our new facility.”
The Burlington Community Pool Board released a statement Friday in response to its August closing, including the following:
“Most of the high school students are already involved in fall sports activities that limit their availability to work during practice and competition times. Most of the college students return to their campuses during the final week in August in preparation for the new semester. That reality leaves the Aquatic Center without the staffing level necessary to safely operate the pool.
Volunteers put in countless extra hours
Otter said the pool has made a significant amount of money beyond what was expected in its first year.
She added the Pool Board consists of all volunteers, and most of the front desk staff works for the Burlington Area School District, so they’re already pulling double duty.
There’s also at least two people needed in concessions at all times, so you’re looking at more than 10 people present at all times.
Days like Friday are a prime example of the struggle.
Otter said a rule is that if less than 10 customers are on site for an hour, they must give a warning and then close. Always with the community’s best interest in mind, Otter’s goal is to open back up several hours later, when the weather turns.
On Friday, the pool had to close temporarily, then re-open at 3 p.m. Most likely, it closed again due to rainy, cold conditions and very few people showing up.
So it’s not as simple as opening whenever you want, when it’s sunny and hot outside.
Like Otter, staff members care deeply about the overall betterment of the community, and tons of hard work, sacrifice and flexibility is needed to work at the pool.
“This place is everything that we wanted,” she said. “Everyone enjoys it very much. With such a young staff, things are going to happen in the summer. Many only have a chance to go on family vacation the last week of summer, too.”
Large facility creates plenty of risk
Running a business that’s dependent on good weather and teenagers isn’t easy, and turnover along with red tape present stiff challenges.
In order to even open a facility, numerous state codes must be met, and emergency plans must be emphasized and followed.
Every day, to open the doors, seven lifeguards must be ready to go. That doesn’t include pool attendants, who run the water slides and other areas of the facility, which includes two pools, a current channel, three large water slides, two diving boards, a rock-climbing wall and a concession stand, amenities unrivaled within a 30-mile radius.
“It’s not simple,” Otter added. “To only have one or two people watching the pool on a shift is impossible.”
Sure, one pool could shut down due to less staff, but what happens when people show up to swim, drove an hour and demand the other pool is opened? How do you say no to that person because you don’t have enough staff on hand?
And this doesn’t take into account unattended children. With parents at times sitting on the lawn chairs surrounding the pool and not paying attention, it becomes even more imperative lifeguards are everywhere and alert. Children in trouble in the water don’t always make a cry for help, and many people that swim aren’t professionally certified, or even good swimmers, like lifeguards.
By all accounts, this year’s immediate success will increase by 2019, when the word of the new place reaches more people and most likely attracts more business.
Otter said she already has a plan for next summer.
“Next year, I want to have a lifeguard trainer on staff, so if we lose lifeguards during the summer, we can train some of our own,” Otter said.
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