Illschwang's outdoor swimming pool: focus on renovation and new job placements

Illschwang's outdoor swimming pool: focus on renovation and new job placements

At the last meeting of the local council in Illschwang, an important topic was addressed: the upcoming renovation of the outdoor swimming pool. This measure is scheduled to begin next year and is part of a comprehensive plan to improve local bathing facilities.

Rüdiger Schnappauf, who has been working as a foreman for pool operations since 2024, presented a concept for future job filling in the outdoor pool. He works part-time 12 hours per week and also has a job with the Bavarian Red Cross as an emergency paramedic. Schnappauf, who started as a lifeguard in Illschwang in 2003, has continued his training over the years and successfully completed his training as a specialist for pool operations in 2021.

Details about the position

The concept that Schnappauf presented came about during his time at the master school last year. He informed those present about the need to comprehensively renovate the outdoor swimming pool, which has existed for 50 years. The community has already submitted applications for funding from the Free State in order to secure financing. Around 20,000 people visit the outdoor pool every year, which underlines the importance of this facility.

There is currently one full-time employee in Illschwang who works 39 hours per week, and Schnappauf part-time. He regrets that the local water rescue service cannot currently contribute sufficiently to swimming supervision. Schnappauf emphasized that the staff structure in many smaller pools in the district is no longer up to date. “It is important to renovate the outdoor pool, but we also need enough staff to keep it running,” he explained.

His concept involves increasing the part-time position to 39 hours per week and also hiring a seasonal employee who is also qualified in lifeguarding. This seasonal worker could work 39 hours per week during peak season. Schnappauf believes it is possible to find someone who can be trained to be a lifeguard in a short period of time. He also suggested that building yard employees could possibly take on certain tasks in the outdoor pool.

He pointed out that the implementation of his suggestions would entail additional financial costs for the municipality. Nevertheless, he believes that it is important to improve working conditions for staff in order to avoid overload. “If staff are overloaded, this could lead to closures or limited opening hours,” he warned.

Local councilor Stefanie Roth praised the work of the outdoor pool team and emphasized that visitors, especially families with children, feel safe there. Mayor Dieter Dehling emphasized the need to think intensively about future staffing in order to ensure the quality of the bathing supervision.

The discussion about renovation and workforce planning in the outdoor pool shows how important it is to optimize both the infrastructure and human resources to meet the needs of the community.