Marengo defines job of pool manager

MARENGO — The City of Marengo is working on a job description for a pool manager to oversee operation of the new pool at the corner of East May Street and Marengo Avenue.

The committee made some changes to the job description, said City Administrator Karla Marck during the Oct. 23 Marengo City Council meeting.

The city will remove from the manager’s job description some certifications for duties that Public Works Director Lonnie Altenhofen will take care of, said Marck.

One certification that will be required is the lifeguard instructor certification. The manager will have to receive that certification by a certain time after hiring, Marck said.

If the pool manager can certify lifeguards, neither the city nor the lifeguards will have to pay someone else to certify them, said Marck.

Certification can cost $200 to $300, said Councilman John Hinshaw, depending on who provides the training and where in the state lifeguards would have to go to obtain it.

Marck said the city needs to receive applications in December, get the manager certified in January and February and start taking applications for lifeguards in March for hire in May.

Marck asked Hinshaw, who managed of the former pool, how many hours the city should expect a manager to work.

“I think a daily check-in is expected,” said Hinshaw. Hinshaw said he and his wife worked about 85 hours, but they lived nearby and could pop over any time.

John and Holly Hinshaw received $8,000 for both of them for the summer season, said Ellen O’Rourke, the city’s financial manager.

Marck will make changes suggested by the city council and will present a new job description during the next meeting, Nov. 13.

The pool manager will supervise lifeguards, ensure safety of the pool and pool patrons and ensure that the pool operates efficiently and effectively, the current job description says.

The manager will have, at minimum, a high school diploma or equivalent with a minimum of three years lifeguard experience. The manager will be certified in first aid and CPR and will be a water safety instructor.

The manager will ensure completion of state health requirement and any paperwork associated with facility operations, will organize and supervise lifeguards, manage schedules, open and close the facility, verify time cards for payroll and will verify gate receipts and take them to city hall for deposit.

Contractors are completing the punch list for the pool now, finishing up details before construction is deemed complete.

The State won’t inspect the pool this year, said Marck. They stop for the year Oct. 31.

The contractor will fill the pool in November to make sure everything works properly. Then the pool will be winterized, said Marck.

The city will get the pool on the State inspection calendar for 2025 and will keep the pool filled following certification until it opens in May 2025, Marck said.