CHESTER, S.C. — The lifeguard shortages reported across the country have hit the Carolinas, and for the city of Chester, that means the only public pool in town has been drained dry.
Despite advertising openings for lifeguard positions, city leaders say they don't have enough people to safely keep the pool open. For families in town, that means they may have to go elsewhere for a cool day of fun in the summer heat.
“I think that’s terrible, we used to love going to that pool. We haven’t in the last couple of years because of COVID, but I do think that’s just really sad," said Terisa Crouch, a local mom to eight kids who now don't have access to the pool.
Carlos Williams, a council member for the city, says they were pushing to get the pool cleaned by summer. He knows that after a year of lockdown, kids needed a place to play. However, the city didn't get enough applications for lifeguards to properly staff the pool.
"I thought the pool would open because they had a sign saying they were looking for lifeguards so that was like hope," said Shaun Leake, a Chester resident who was just as disappointed. For Chester residents like him, it's a double loss; last year, the local YMCA with an indoor pool shut down permanently.
Closer to Charlotte, other pools have seen more success in hiring; $15-per-hour pay and sign-on bonuses have helped bring in more lifeguards in Mecklenburg County. Michael John, the aquatics supervisor for the county's pools, says lifeguards are an absolute necessity for everyone's safety.
“We train lifeguards being there for any kind of emergency – both wet and dry. It increased the number of survival tenfold," he told us.
As for Crouch and her family, they'll be looking elsewhere for blue waters and a day out; city officials say the pool should re-open next summer.
“I’m looking a little further away from Chester, which is unfortunate," she said.
Contact Indira Eskieva at ieskieva@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram.