LOVELAND GETS A HEAD START ON SEASONAL HIRING

City staff hoping to keep pools open

If the early bird gets the worm, then Loveland Parks and Recreation is hoping that the early recruiter will get the summer employees. Starting this week, applications will open for more than 70 positions at the city’s pools and parks that start around Memorial Day.

“The last couple of years have been a little rough,” Loveland Parks and Recreation Manager Ashlee Taylor said. “We’re trying to get it out there and get them filled before we are in a panic, trying to figure out which programs we’re going to pare down.”

Staffing shortages in 2021 and 2022 prompted the Parks and Recreation to shorten hours at the Lake Loveland Swim Beach and Winona outdoor pool, and limit appearances of the city’s Mobile Play trailer. The early recruiting effort is aimed at preventing that for a third straight year, according to Taylor.

“We want to make sure that we can offer everything we can offer, seven days per week,” she said.

As usual, one of the most pressing needs is for aquatics staff. Parks and Recreation is hoping to add another 40 lifeguards for the season, joining the 20 who are returning from last year’s staff. The position is open to anyone age 15 and older, with training sessions scheduled for April and May.

There are also openings for lead lifeguards (17 and up), as well as swim instructors, a swim coach and an assistant pool manager.

Also urgently needed are more aides and leaders for the Adventure Bound Day Camp programs at Chilson, which are almost full for the summer. As an incentive, employees who stay on for all 10 weeks of the program will be eligible for a $600 signing bonus, Taylor said.

“It’s fun,” Taylor said of the camps. “You get to do field trips with the kids, play games, and it’s really low stress.”

That was seconded by Hazel Daly, a Loveland High School junior, who started as a camp aide on Monday, the first day of Thompson Valley School’s spring break. As a longtime Chilson patron, the job seemed like a natural fit.

“I’ve been coming here since I was five, and I’ve always liked what they’re doing,” she said. “And I’m good with kids.”

Parks and Recreation is also hoping to bulk up its parks maintenance staff as soon as possible, especially ballpark attendants and groundskeepers, which were “needed yesterday,” Taylor said.

Applicants must be at least 16 years old and have a driver’s license, since the positions require driving gator carts and operating other light equipment.

Other openings include event staff, who will help out the city’s summer events, including Farmers Market, Movies in the Park and many more.

Though many of the applicants are local high school students, Taylor said that any one looking for a summer job is encouraged to apply. Hourly pay starts at $13.65 per hour, up to $20, depending on the position and experience. Start dates for most of the positions are the first Monday of June and typically end sometime in August.

“One year we had a PE teacher who did summer camp stuff and it was perfect for him,” she said.

For information, or to apply for an open position, visit lovgov.org/jobs.

PHOTOS BY JENNY SPARKS — LOVELAND REPORTER-HERALD Kaity Felsheim, a recreation specialist for the city of Loveland, swims with Kat Cahoj, 6, left, and Sadie Wynn, 6, right, in the Lazy River on Monday at the Chilson Recreation Center in Loveland. Felsheim was working with the spring break Adventure Bound Day Camp at the center. Loveland Parks and Recreation is getting a jump-start on seasonal hiring for lifeguards and day camp aides to avoid staffing shortages that have plagued the city for the past two years.

Corbin Glasser, recreation specialist and lead lifeguard for the city of Loveland, keeps an eye on swimmers Monday at the Chilson Recreation Center in Loveland.