Lewiston City Councilor Scott Harriman, left, and Mayor Carl Sheline try to rev up enthusiasm Wednesday afternoon at the Kennedy Park Pool, hopeful they can attract lifeguards and other staff so it can reopen this summer after being closed for two years. The duo was planning to post some promotional photos for the city’s social media pages and website. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

LEWISTON — College and university graduations are wrapping up, just as high schools in central Maine get ready to dismiss students for the summer. Tourist season is upon Maine, which means all the trappings that come along with summer fun and seasonal business are getting revved up.

A public works crew power washes the Kennedy Park pool Wednesday afternoon as they get it ready to re-open after being closed for the past two years. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Summer is also a traditional time for teens and college students to earn some extra money, but times are changing. Nationally, not enough of them are pursuing what used to be considered traditional summer jobs — like lifeguarding, working at an ice cream store, or a local camp.

The National Lifeguard Association says half of the country’s pools still need lifeguards for the summer. There’s such a lack of interest locally that Mayor Carl Sheline and Ward 3 Councilor Scott Harriman announced plans to don their best pool attire in an effort to attract potential lifeguards for the Kennedy Park Pool. It’s been closed the past two years due to lingering COVID-19 concerns and a staffing shortage.

Typically, the pool opens the last week in June, so there is still time to fill the positions. The city is even offering to pay for the required certification.

Jeremy Gatcomb is the recreation director for the city of Auburn and said they too are struggling to find lifeguards. For this season at least, the beach at Lake Grove Park will be “swim at your own risk.”

Gatcomb writes that they have a more robust plan to staff the beach next year. They want to use the off-season to recruit and properly train the staff to be stationed at the beach. The city’s biggest seasonal hiring effort is focused on filling about 40 camp counselor slots to accommodate the 250 to 300 campers expected this summer.

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Lewiston and Auburn are not facing the lifeguard shortage dilemma alone.

Austin, Texas, hired more lifeguards in 2019 than ever, according to the city’s Parks and Recreation department. In the aftermath of the pandemic, Austin has had to raise wages to $16 to $19 per hour, offer up to $1,250 in bonuses, paid sick leave and a free bus pass as incentives.

All is not lost if you like ice cream. Both locations of Dairy Joy are fully staffed, a manager confirmed. College students who are home for the summer apparently prefer ice cream over chlorine and sun and make up most of the 20 or so employees.

Dairy Joy on Sabattus Street in Lewiston is fully staffed for the summer. Christopher Wheelock/Sun Journal

If mini golf and a bite to eat by Lake Auburn are in your future this season, you shouldn’t find any staffing issues at Tabers at 470 Lake Shore Drive.

Owner Dan Hargreaves said they start the hiring process in February and March for between five and 10 seasonal jobs. The seasonal hires are a mix of high school and college students and Hargreaves said they are fortunate to have a lot of employees come back each year. They all work in customer service capacities at the golf shack, the restaurant, doing kitchen prep and maintenance across the complex.

The Maine Department of Labor reported the state’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.3% in April with two job openings for every one unemployed job seeker in the state, an indicator of how competitive the hiring environment is for employers. For some, that means they have had to offer hiring bonuses, higher wages or other incentives to potential employees.

The unemployment rate in Androscoggin County dropped to 2.9% in April, down from 5.4% in 2021. Franklin and Oxford counties also saw significant drops in the unemployment rate to 3.8% and 3.5%, respectively, down from 6.2% and 6.7%, respectively, in 2021.

Employers and job seekers can check out  Maine JobLink — a free tool to post both job openings and resumes. Job seekers using Maine JobLink can explore over 600 positions in health care, manufacturing, food and beverage, retail, transportation, janitorial, construction and hospitality in and around Lewiston-Auburn using the keyword “seasonal.”

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