With the summer months quickly approaching, city leaders said they are optimistic about opening all of the city pools this year.
Last summer, understaffing kept some Chicago Park District pools and beaches closed. This season, hundreds of lifeguards are needed to get back to full capacity.
That task has kept Escareno busy, trying to recruit enough lifeguards to fully open pools and beaches with summer right around the corner. "Last year, we had half of that," Escareno said. "And, this is why last year, we couldn't open all the pools." "The pools in our neighborhoods are anchors for positivity and fun for our children, especially in a time when so much of what they see going on around them isn't positive for them," Lopez said.The city has also laid out new incentives to hire guards. These include waiving the often costly lifeguard certification fees, tickets to Chicago Fire matches and one-day passes to Lollapalooza. Lifeguards also receive a $600 bonus and make $16.19 per hour.
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