BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — The City of Beckley continues searching for a pool manager in order to open two municipal pools in summer 2023, Beckley Parks and Recreation Director Leslie Baker said on Monday, March 27, 2023.

Baker has previously said filling the manager position is vital to opening the city’s two pools, the Sharon Dempsey Memorial Pool at New River Park and a smaller pool at Historic Black Knight Municipal Park.

Since the 2021 death of Dempsey, who managed the pools for three decades, the city has not had a manager.

Baker said the city is also challenged by the nationwide lifeguard shortage and hasn’t been able to find enough lifeguards for the two pools.