Keeping Public Pools Open: Governor Polis, DOLA, and CDLE Announce Grantees of the Lifeguard Training Initiative

DENVER – Today, Governor Polis, the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) announced the awardees for the Lifeguard Training Initiative, part of the administration’s Pools Special Initiative, launched last summer.

“We are making a splash with this exciting support for lifeguards, part of our ongoing work to make sure that pools can safely open earlier, expand hours, and stay open longer this summer. We are thrilled that so many local governments across the state applied for this funding so that families, friends, and neighbors can dive right into the summer,” said Gov. Polis.

The Lifeguard Training Initiative is part of the Polis administration’s ongoing work to make sure Colorado’s public pools have trained staff to open sooner and stay open longer. This initiative helps local governments to attract and retain public pool employees throughout the summer and ensure adequate staffing levels to keep pools open at maximum capacity.

Governor Polis announced this new initiative earlier this month at Northglenn Rec Center, joined by members of the administration, local officials, state lawmakers, and community members.

The grantees are as follows:

Name	Amount Awarded
RainDance Metropolitan District No. 1	$10,700
Town of Holly	$1,000
St. Vrain Lakes Metropolitan District No. 1	$10,700
Erie Highlands Metropolitan District No. 4	$10,700
Bennett Park and Recreation District	$1,687
Apex Park and Recreation District	$10,700
City of Woodland Park	$2,868
City of Commerce City	$1,462
City of Thorton	$6,892
City of Rocky Ford	$1,000
City of Louisville	$2,070
City of Sterling	$10,700
City of Craig	$1,000
City of Aurora	$10,700
Town of Castle Rock	$7,873
City of Glenwood Springs	$1,000
Carbon Valley Park and Recreation District	$1,000
South Suburban Park and Recreation District	$10,700
Thompson Rivers Parks & Recreation District	$2,193
Evergreen Park & Recreation District	$5,061
Town of Berthoud	$2,812
City of Northglenn	$1,968
Town of Parker	$4,499
City of Loveland	$5,624
Town of Johnstown	$10,700
Town of Breckenridge	$1,406
Widefield 3 School District	$3,670
Montrose Recreation District	$2,137
Fraser Valley Metropolitan Recreation District	$2,812
Clear Creek Metropolitan Recreation District	$1,687
City of Fort Collins	$8,436
City of Brighton	$1,687
Columbine Knolls Grove Metropolitan Recreation District	$2,812
City and County of Broomfield	$10,700
City of Boulder	$10,700
City of Fruita	$3,093
Weld County School District RE-1	$1,000
Mountain Recreation Metropolitan District	$2,812
Foothills Park & Recreation District	$5,793
Town of Windsor	$1,665
Mount Vernon Country Club Metropolitan District	$10,700
City of Manitou Springs	$8,436
Fossil Ridge Metropolitan District No. 1	$10,700
Chaparral Metropolitan District	$10,700
Marvella Metropolitan District	$10,700
City of Colorado Springs	$10,545

In total, $258,000 in grant funding was available with a minimum request of $1,000 and a maximum request of $20,000. $257,800 was awarded and the remaining $200 will be available for supplemental funding to grantees.

The Pools Special Initiative is a partnership with the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA and Colorado Workforce Development Council housed in CDLE utilizing statewide innovation funds through the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity ACT (WIOA) and DOLA.

About the Colorado Department of Local Affairs

The Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) is responsible for strengthening Colorado's local communities and building capacity by providing strategic training, research, technical assistance, and funding to localities.

Colorado's rich heritage is evident in the communities that extend from the eastern plains to the western slope, from the southeast to the northwest corners of our state. While each region, county and municipality represents a range of interests and characteristics, all of Colorado's communities are constantly changing, adapting and working to address the concerns of citizens. Learn more at cdola.colorado.gov.

About the Colorado Department of Labor & Employment

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment connects job seekers with great jobs, provides an up-to-date and accurate picture of the economy to help decision making, assists workers who have been injured on the job, ensures fair labor practices, helps those who have lost their jobs by providing temporary wage replacement through unemployment benefits, and protects the workplace - and Colorado communities - with a variety of consumer protection and safety programs. Learn more at cdle.colorado.gov.