BREC hopeful to have an opening date for Liberty Lagoon soon, expect limited hours

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - That sweltering southern heat is returning, and spending some time soaking in the pool is a great way to cool off.

Unfortunately, lifeguard shortages have one of Baton Rouge’s most enjoyable summer attractions sitting empty.

“You think you’re going to have 20 lifeguards coming in and then you end up with six or seven,” said owner of SELA Aquatics, Robb Dowie.

Dowie says his group certifies between 300-400 lifeguards each summer.

With the departure of BREC’s aquatics director happening just weeks ago, it put pressure on the department to find instructors to help certify lifeguards for BREC’s pools, including the lagoon.

“When BREC approached us at the beginning of mid-May and said we have 40-50 lifeguards that we need to get ASAP, we did everything we could,”