Background

Introduction
Community Partner
Historical Context
Current Context
Consequences

Introduction

The lifeguard shortage we see plaguing our cities today is an extension of a wider issue of recreation access for people of color. For our research project, we are tasked with providing a data backed policy recommendation in order to alleviate the labor shortage at Hartford’s public pools. We hope that our research will not only help Hartford residents, but also provide a framework for other cities to follow. This issue has received immense support from the community and the voices of the Hartford residents will drive our research. While this issue appears to be straightforward, it is only a symptom of broader issues of underfunded cities, racism and urban decay.

Community Partner

The Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission (PRAC) is our community partner for the Recreation Access Project. PRAC brought this issue to our attention and has been an extremely useful resource for research and communication with the community. With the help of PRAC we have developed a policy recommendation which PRAC can use to advise the city government for possible solutions to the lifeguard shortage.

Historical Context

This is not the first time that the issue of recreation access has been brought to the attention of the government. Beginning in the Great Depression era, the New Deal provided funding for public pools in nearly every town, it was even said that if the population of a town was over 1,500 people, then it had a public pool. So, what went wrong? For decades the well-staffed and well-maintained pools were white only, while black people had far less pools and funding. When the 1965 civil rights act passed, the problem was still not solved. Instead of desegregating pools, much of the south closed down their public pools in favor of private swim clubs where they could still discriminate against people of color. In the north, the public pools were located in “White Enclaves”, while African Americans were legally allowed to use these pools, police harassment and racial discrimination deterred many swimmers. Additionally, cities across America have seen the rise of private swim clubs that are able to be staffed and maintained better than public pools because they charge fees that many people cannot afford. Because of this, many potential city lifeguards choose to work at these swim clubs for better pay and regular hours. Additionally, budgetary constraints in education have reduced the number of swim teams in Hartford, and further reduced the number of possible lifeguards.

Current Context

On the map below, the division between Hartford and the surrounding suburbs becomes apparent. The suburban median household income is far higher than the income in Harford. This directly affects the public pools in Hartford, because with lower tax revenue per capita, the city has less money per resident than neighboring towns. Because of this Hartford can be outbid by neighboring towns for lifeguard services, and as a result the national lifeguard shortage becomes even more prominent within Harford. In the table below, we can correlate median household income directly with the number of public pools within the town. Towns such as Wethersfield and Simsbury have a significantly higher public pool per capita ratio.

City	Population	# of Outdoor Public Pools
Hartford	120,576	4
Wethersfield	27,298	3 (Includes a Pond)
Simsbury	24,979	5 (Includes a Pond)
Newington	30,493	3
Meriden	60,517	2

Figure 1: Hartford Area Populations and Public Swimming Pools

Consequences

Due to pool closings and the reduction in hours, the community has suffered significant consequences. While this issue appears minor, the consequences of this inequality are far-reaching, and can have a variety of effects on the health, safety and finances of Hartford residents. As the summers get hotter, the Hartford public pools system falls into deeper disrepair, and it is members of the community that suffer. As we mentioned earlier, with less kids learning how to swim, the shortage of lifeguards will continue to get worse until something is done to stop this cycle. Without a functional public pool system, Hartford residents are subject to the dangers of heat stroke and the costs of air conditioning.

Figure 2: Median Household Income, 2021 Inflation Adjusted Dollars

ACS 2021 (5-Year Estimates)