OMAHA, Ne. (KMTV) — The city pools have begun to reopen for the summer and with the weather being so warm the past few days, city representatives are excited to welcome people back.
"We know that people have been really looking forward to getting back outside and obviously the weather is very hot this week so we’re excited to opening the pools and letting people enjoy them," said Sidney Moore, Special Projects Coordinator for City of Omaha Parks and Recreation.
The pools this year have limited hours, and while one reason is because of proximity to other pools, the city is also short-staffed. They're experiencing a lifeguard shortage which then affects how long the facilities can be open.
"We’re doing our best to get as many as we can. We currently have around 170 lifeguards but we need well over 200 to open our pools with regular hours," Moore said.
The city uses the American Red Cross for certification. If you want to get certified you just have to be 15 years old by the last day of certification class and pass a pre-course swimming test.
City representatives say they're trying their best to fill that gap but they're happy they're able to open at some capacity so community members can still enjoy the summer.
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