County parks committee outlines plan to use $600,000 in one‑time funds for aquatics, seasonal labor and facility repairs

Parks officials briefed the committee on a proposal to allocate $600,000 in one‑time funds from an adopted budget amendment toward seasonal labor, aquatics incentives, facility repairs and other park activation needs.

Deputy Director Jim Tarantino said the super amendment added $600,000 to departmental contingency and the parks department proposed using the funds to expand aquatics staffing and maintenance. The department’s suggested allocation included $230,000 for seasonal labor (targeted to aquatics seasonal staff), $70,000 for seasonal-incentive pay to recruit lifeguards, $100,000 for aquatics facility repair and maintenance, $100,000 for building improvements and pavilion upgrades, $50,000 for dog-exercise-area improvements and a remaining amount for continued traffic-calming work and other park priorities.

Tarantino described the funds as intended to increase the department’s ability to open pools and other amenities; he cautioned that opening additional outdoor “deep-well” pools depends on equipment condition and whether needed parts and repairs can be completed when systems are turned on in April–May.

Lifeguard recruitment and staffing constraints

Assistant Director Andrea Wallace presented a detailed update on lifeguard recruitment and training. Wallace said the department had conducted 62 recruitment visits and reached more than 275 sign-ups for certification classes across five training sessions. Two training sessions were complete, two more were scheduled and the department was running a swim-skills class to help prospective guards meet the department’s swim standard.

Wallace said the department currently has about 80 returning lifeguards and 24 new guards who have already passed swim tests; in 2019 the county had 137 guards but that earlier figure reflected different staffing patterns and longer hours per guard. Wallace told the committee guard work is now more often part-time, with roughly 70–80% of guards seeking 15–25 hours a week, and that the department estimates it would need substantially more recruits (on the order of 200–250 total lifeguards) to staff all outdoor deep-well pools at historic levels.

Supervisors pressed for clarity on which pools would open if recruitment targets are met and asked for more outreach. Several supervisors—especially those representing southwest-side districts that have long-closed pools—said they had been told previously that particular pools (e.g., Hales Corners) would be a priority and asked the department to make good on any written assurances. Tarantino said final decisions about which pools open will be made in late April after systems are turned on and recruitment results are clearer.

Why it matters: parks staff say the funding increase and recruitment push are intended to boost pool access and reduce seasonal closures, but the department’s ability to open pools will be limited by lifeguard hires and by the condition of pool mechanical systems once facilities are turned on for the season.

Next steps: the department will use the contingency allocation proposal to move funds into operational budgets and will provide supervisors with a list of pools that can open in late April once recruitment numbers and equipment checks are complete.