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Ross, the Parks Bureau spokesperson, said the pool would not have opened to the public without sufficient staffing.

  Ross, the Parks Bureau spokesperson, said the pool would not have opened to the public without sufficient staffing. Portland, like many other U.S. cities, has struggled with a lifeguard shortage in the wake of the pandemic, when training courses were suspended for new recruits.  But Ross said that after a “robust recruitment campaign” that included bumping starting lifeguard pay to $18 an hour, the city had managed to hire 500 lifeguards and swim instructors to staff indoor and outdoor pools during the just-concluded summer season.  Aquatics recruiters have previously said they had hoped to hire around 725 guards and instructors for the summer season. The Parks Bureau is providing grief counseling for staff who are seeking help in response to the drowning, Ross added. This is a developing story and will be updated.
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The Montavilla pool offers evening open swim hours between 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. during weekdays throughout the summer.

  The Montavilla pool offers evening open swim hours between 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. during weekdays throughout the summer. “I am devastated by this tragedy,” said Commissioner Dan Ryan, who oversees the bureau. “I know that the community and everyone within PP&R grieves as well.” Parks director Adena Long said her staff will partner with other city officials “to participate in an investigation to see what we can learn from this tragic incident.” The parks bureau’s “goal is to provide the safest environment possible for the community,” Long said. No one has drowned at a Portland swimming pool since at least 1985, the parks bureau told The Oregonian/OregonLive last year. Several children have survived close calls in more recent years, including a 13-year-old girl and 6-year-old boy at what was then Wilson pool in 2012 and 2002, respectively, and a 7-year-old boy at Peninsula Park pool in 2009. Montavilla lifeguards had performed the third highest number of swimming rescues — 75 — a...
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