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Parma Heights addresses lifeguard staffing, plans dog park and lists fall community events
Summary
Recreation Director Sedlak told council lifeguard shortages late in the season prompted a proposal to raise pay from $15 to $19 per hour; Mayor Gallo announced a joint Parma/Parma Heights dog park (about 1 acre) with a planned spring opening and noted upcoming tire and shred events and 2026 budget planning.
Recreation staff shortages late in the summer led Parma Heights Recreation Director Sedlak to ask council for help retaining lifeguards. Sedlak said lifeguard staffing was adequate for most of the season but became challenging near the end as many staff preferred shorter shifts or returned to school. To encourage staff to remain for the final weeks, she proposed increasing the lifeguard pay rate from $15 to $19 per hour.
Council asked questions about staffing composition; Sedlak said the department hires primarily high-school and some college students and that a higher hourly rate is intended to keep seasonal staff through the close of the season. She also said the tree lighting is set for Nov. 30, and that Parma Heights Frights will be held Saturday, Nov. 1 from 4–7 p.m., concluding an hour earlier than in prior years.
Mayor Gallo reported the cities of Parma and Parma Heights have signed an agreement to build a one‑acre dog park with separate areas for small and large dogs and water access; the park will be closed over winter with a planned grand opening next spring. The mayor said the Animal Control Officer has advised on park design and that the dog-park project responds to repeated resident requests.
Service Director Sepik announced two fall resident services: a tire collection event Sept. 13 (tires no larger than 20 inches and removed from rims) and a shred event Sept. 27 (two standard boxes per household). Mayor Gallo said internal budget planning for 2026 has begun and noted the administration will propose a line item to cover years with a 27th pay period and to address retirement-related payouts. He also reported the library grand opening remains scheduled before year-end, the previously-ordered ladder truck should be arriving soon, and a police sergeant promotion and new K‑9 swearing-in are forthcoming.
No members of the public spoke during the public session.
What happens next: The lifeguard pay proposal and staffing plans will be considered by administration and council as part of fall personnel and budget discussions; the dog park will move forward toward a spring 2026 opening subject to project planning and weather.
