Buffalo Pools May Not Open in Time For Summer Because of One Thing

Memorial Day is typically regarded as the unofficial start of summer, and the target date for opening public pools.

But some pools in Western New York may not be open on time, and it's not because of the chlorine shortage.

Instead, trained lifeguards are in short supply.

WGRZ reports that the YMCA is trying to fill 20-25 open lifeguard positions for their pools and camps.

The YMCA Buffalo Niagara cites a big reason for the shortage is because they haven't held in-person training courses for new lifeguards.

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic put the usual in-person trainings on hold.

Nick Bond, Vice President of Operations at the YMCA, told WGRZ:

"Those trainings have been put on hold. We do have guidance on how to provide those programs to get new lifeguards trained, but the classes are smaller in size. So in a class where you might have typically 12 people, we might now only have 8. So we are limited a little bit on the number of people that are in each class."

Right now, the YMCA is offering lifeguard training for free in order to attract new lifeguards. The training can usually cost up to $300 according to WGRZ.

If you're interested in open positions at the YMCA Buffalo Niagara you can click here to learn more.

A shortage of workers has been an ongoing theme as much of Western New York begins to reopen fully for the first time in over 14 months.

Louie's Footlong Hot Dogs in Tonawanda closed after 70 years in business, citing a shortage of available workers as the key reason in the timing of their decision. The restaurant made the announcement on their Facebook page a little over a week ago.