October 20, 2023 |
PHOTO – Saratoga gym – Courtesy Saratoga Department of Recreation
To attract more help for the town’s recreation department, the Saratoga town council has agreed to offer gym assistants more money.
Like many employers in the post-COVID era when the federal government made free money available, the Town of Saratoga is having trouble finding workers. During Tuesday’s Saratoga town council meeting, Mayor Chuck Davis said Recreation Director Kim Hemenway has been searching for gym employees for about a month. Mayor Davis said he thinks the starting wage of $10 an hour may be discouraging people from applying.
Mayor Davis said he is worried that, if Hemenway required time off, the town would need to cancel gym activities. Councilman Jacob Fluty asked where Hemenway was posting the job openings. The recreation director said she’s been looking everywhere.
Mayor Davis said he is out of ideas for ways to find help for the town’s recreation department. Councilman Mike Cooley said he thinks a $2 an hour raise may appeal to more people. Mayor Davis said the recreation department has the money to cover the cost of the increased wages.
Recreation Director Hemenway said a gym assistant will typically work 10 hours a week.
The council voted to increase the starting wage for gym assistants from $10 to $12 an hour.
The lack of gym help has begun to cause issues. Yesterday, the Saratoga Recreation Department created a Facebook post stating that the facility had to close early due to staffing shortages.
For more information about the open gym assistant positions, call Recreation Director Kim Hemenway at 326-8338.
