6 of Houston’s 37 public pools open this weekend

The recent storm did the Houston Parks and Recreation Department no favors, as a handful of public pools were damaged in the storm.

Memorial Park Pool, one of the city’s gems, has a large fallen tree that crashed through a fence near the deep end of the pool. There is no water in this pool either.

It’s the new era of public pool attendance, not just in Houston, but in cities across the country facing a common problem: a lack of lifeguards.

The city of Houston has budgeted for 187 lifeguards, but only 38 positions are currently filled. A few dozen others are in preparation, according to a municipal source, the swim towards a full complement is going against the tide.

“Until we are at full strength, we will operate on a three-day-a-week rotation schedule so that we can reach twice as many communities as we otherwise would if we kept them in one facility,” Ray Derouen, Director of Aquatic Sports for the City of Houston. said Friday.

The matrix, key to the pandemic era for which public swimming pools are open when, is not yet ready either.

Derouen said he wanted to have a better idea of ​​rescue staffing and facility conditions after the storm before releasing the schedule, which is based on three main factors: attendance, geographic diversity and the diversity of municipal districts.

Even with an attractive $500 incentive package and a 40-hour work week at $16 an hour, younger people are opting for other jobs.

For a more in-depth look at the current HPARD pool schedule, click here.