ST. CLOUD - Many cities across Minnesota are dealing with a shortage of lifeguards, in part due to the growing economy and fewer younger workers looking for a summer job.

St. Cloud Parks and Recreation Director Scott Zlotnik says lifeguards are in high demand for their wading pools, which open next month.

"I wouldn't consider it to be abnormally large, but every year with our wading pool program in St. Cloud we hire up to 40 lifeguards."

Zlotnik says St. Cloud lifeguards need to be water safety and CPR certified, which can be big time commitment for younger workers (The local YMCA does offer certification classes). More local businesses are also opening in town, leading to more competition for the younger workers.

"We usually bring guards in at the $9-$11 an hour range and some of our supervisors higher than that, but we see coffee shops, Kwik Trips and other opportunities popping up. It's certainly our thought that this may be tracking slightly from our lifeguard labor force."

If you're interested in applying to be a lifeguard, you can visit the St. Cloud city website under the "parks and recreation" section: CLICK HERE.

The St. Cloud wading pool locations are:

  • Centennial (1725 Centennial Drive) -Open 6/14 through 8/14-
  • Hester (1020 6th Street North) -Open 6/7 through 8/7-
  • Pantown (2915 9th Street North) -Open 6/7 through 8/7-
  • Rotary (1507 Gottens Way) -Open 6/14 through 8/14-
  • Seberger (2001 2nd Street North) ($2.25 fee) -Open 6/7 through 8/7-
  • Southside (805 13th Street South) -Open 6/7 through 8/7-
  • Spalt (413 NE 3rd Avenue) -Open 6/14 through 8/14-

The wading pools will be staffed with a lifeguard Tuesdays through Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Side note: The Foley Parks Department says they have an abundance of lifeguards for the upcoming summer season.

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