Louisville's violence epidemic could shut down the West End's only outdoor pool before it even has a chance to open this weekend.

That's because lifeguards are scared to go there, city officials said.

Metro Parks Director Seve Ghose, who oversees the city's parks system, said that when lifeguards are assigned to one of the four outdoor pools, they turn down the opportunity to work at the Algonquin Park location.

"We're not getting any who want to work at Algonquin," Ghose said during a Metro Council budget hearing Monday.

Metro Parks announced last week that its aquatics division needed about 15 more lifeguards for the summer.

Right now, parks has one lifeguard and one pool attendant signed up to work at Algonquin. State law requires one lifeguard per 2,000 square feet of surface water in a pool, which means Metro Parks needs at least five more lifeguards in order to open the 650,000-gallon Algonquin pool.

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Councilwoman Mary Woolridge, who represents the Algonquin area, said she was shocked to learn the parks department was having such a hard time filling the positions.

"The pools will be open for Memorial Day weekend, but is my pool going to open or not? I don't know," she said.

Asked if the lack of lifeguards could mean the pool would be closed for the holiday, parks spokesman Jon Reiter said Tuesday that there is a fair chance that might happen.

"We are still actively looking for lifeguards to staff the Algonquin pool and are short of what we currently need," he said.

Woolridge, D-3rd District, questioned during the hearing if the low entry-level pay was also a factor in recruiting people.

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City lifeguards start at about $10 an hour and must possess a lifeguard certification and have trained in CPR and first aid. Parks officials said that a number of factors make recruiting lifeguards difficult but that security concerns at Algonquin Park, 1614 Cypress St., are the biggest hurdle.

"We’re investigating other options, including offering shift premiums to those who want to work at Algonquin, to help us get the pool open," Reiter said.

Last summer, the Algonquin pool was closed for several days after vandals caused roughly $10,000 in damage. The pool had to be drained, and the filtration system had to be inspected because fireworks and broken bottles were thrown in the pool. Three pieces of playground equipment were also set on fire.

Ghose said the agency has discussed adding police on site or curtailing the pool's hours to address concerns with violence.

"We're actually negotiating with a private security provider to see if they would station themselves there on an ongoing basis," he said.

Louisville has had 49 criminal homicides this year and is ahead of the pace from last year, when there were 124 across the city. There had been 44 murders at this time last year.

In the Algonquin area this year, Louisville police statistics show there have been three shootings and a Courier-Journal database shows four homicides. Those include an Easter Day incident in which a mother and daughter were arrested after the beating and fatal shooting of a woman. A friend of the woman was also shot. That occurred about two miles from the pool.

Reporter Phillip M. Bailey can be reached at 502-582-4475 or pbailey@courier-journal.com

Lifeguards who do not meet the city's qualifications can attend a five-hour training course at the Mary T. Meagher Aquatic Center, 201 Reservoir Road, which started this week.

The class costs $200 but the parks department waives that if a candidate pledges to work for the city during the 2017 summer outdoor pool season. For more information or to apply to be a lifeguard, visit Louisville Metro Park's website or call 502-897-9949.