Creekmore Park Pool in Fort Smith will open for business this season, but there will be some limited operations due to a lifeguard shortage.
Fort Smith Deputy Director of Parks Sara Deuster said the pool usually hires between 12 and 20 lifeguards each summer.
Right now, she said there are only six that have applied.
“It’s not so much that we don’t have people applying, it’s we have a lack of individuals wanting to get certified,” Duester said. “So I really don’t know why they aren’t. Maybe they have different jobs, maybe cooler weather, but we’ve just seen a really big decline in people wanting to get certified to work.”
I still remember going to swimming lessons there when I was like three or four years old. I would say that it is a shame that all the kids who might want that same experience today may not have a chance at it, but these days I am not really too big a fan of swimming around in a giant vat of urine. Of course, now that we have people setting alligators loose in our lakes, a giant vat of urine might actually be the safest place to swim.