Westchase Gave Up Its Lifeguards to Keep the Pool Gates Open

On Sept. 22, the Westchase Community Association told residents that both of its facilities, West Park Village and Countryway, are now "Swim at Your Own Risk." No lifeguards are on duty. The staff at the front desk are now called Community Service Attendants, and they do not continuously watch swimmers.

Most of the talk about this change focuses on what was taken away. The record of how it happened tells a different story. For more than a year, the board's main concern was keeping the pools and courts open with reliable staff. Cost came up often, but directors said it was secondary. In this trade, the association took on longer, steadier hours. Parents and swimmers took on the job of watching the water.

Who Is at the Desk Now

The WCA notice describes the attendant role in plain terms.

• What CSAs do: check residents in, monitor the facilities, keep them clean and answer general questions.
• What CSAs don't do: continuously watch swimmers.
• Who is responsible for safety: parents, guardians and patrons, as the posted Association rules and signs say.

At the board's September meeting, Director Green pointed out that the CSA job descriptions did not require CPR certification or basic first aid. Board member Holt said the association will not require attendants to perform lifesaving measures. When Director Wilcox asked about the AED machines, Holt said they would stay in place.

The new signs say children under 12 must be supervised by a responsible adult. They list pool hours as "dawn to dusk" because exact hours could change.

Staffing Was the Problem the Board Kept Coming Back To

The lifeguard debate started with closures. In April 2025, the board linked earlier pool closures to staffing problems. At the same meeting, the WCA's insurance broker said pools without lifeguards would not change insurance costs as long as the right signs were posted. That took one possible motive off the table early. Insurance savings were never the reason.

In July 2025, Inframark, the association's management company, recommended looking into an aquatics company to oversee and maintain the pools. The Voting Members then backed asking the board to explore options for removing lifeguards. Mary Griffin suggested CPR-trained attendants and AEDs in place of guards. The CPR-trained part of that idea did not make it into the final job descriptions.

By October 2025, Inframark manager Jennifer Jordan had a concrete comparison. The existing setup used 22 lifeguards and cabana attendants at $534,000 a year. The proposal replaced them with 12 CSAs, plus a facilities manager to handle pool maintenance and deep janitorial cleaning.

The staffing strain didn't end once the decision was made. In April 2026, the pools were four people short and expected to lose four more on June 1. The board authorized the pool supervisor to recommend up to eight more lifeguards. By the July board meeting, the facilities were reported fully staffed.

Director Eric Holt summed up the board's view at the February 2026 meeting:

"Part of the problem is that we are in the HR business and we shouldn't be."

He added that keeping summer lifeguards in future years would mean hiring a third-party service.

How the Decision Moved Through Westchase

This was not a quick vote. It took about 14 months from the Voting Members' first discussion to the Sept. 22 notice.

1. July 2025: Voting Members back asking the board to explore options for removing lifeguards.
2. September 2025: A Voting Members straw poll favors keeping lifeguards in summer only. The board asks for more detailed cost and staffing data before deciding.
3. Late 2025: Residents ask for a direct survey, and the board agrees. It goes out through the WCA website, email, social media and Voting Members, closing Jan. 31. The board also approves Patrick Piper, owner of Pipeline Swimming, as an independent pool supervisor for up to 19 hours a week.
4. February 2026: The board votes to keep lifeguards through Labor Day and then move to a swim-at-your-own-risk model with CSAs. All members present vote yes.
5. March 10, 2026: Voting Members minutes record the transition. They specify that current lifeguards would not become CSAs or Inframark employees before Labor Day.
6. Summer 2026: The board tables the transition discussion at a July 20 special meeting, then approves revised signs in August.
7. September 2026: Directors approve the CSA job descriptions 6–1, with Wilcox voting no. They let Inframark move forward on a contract naming Piper CSA Supervisor.
8. Sept. 22, 2026: The WCA announces the transition is complete.

The Survey Split, and How Each Side Read It

The resident survey drew 425 responses. Of those, 179 favored eliminating lifeguards, 137 wanted guards in summer only, 101 wanted no change and 8 had no preference. Board President Michiel Oostenbrink noted that 55.76% of respondents wanted some form of lifeguard coverage. Holt countered that 75% were fine with either no guards or summer-only coverage. Both readings come from the same numbers. The difference is whether the summer-only group is counted as wanting guards or as accepting fewer of them.

Resident Katie Hammond asked how often respondents actually used the pools. Of those who answered, 25% said often, 22% occasionally, 33% rarely and 20% never. That means a little under half of respondents were regular or occasional swimmers.

What the Money Figures Show

The dollar figures came up at several meetings, and each one covered a different scenario.

These figures don't add up into one clean number because each estimate measured a different option. When resident Bob Bader asked about savings in February, Holt gave the $96,000 figure. He then added that money was not the driving factor. The association's broader finances support that. At the September 2026 meeting, Holt reported that the WCA was well under budget so far. He said the reserve study shows 109% of funding requirements on hand, helped by capital contributions from new construction at Westchase Station.

Hours Are What the Board Promised in Return

If staffing was the problem, longer and steadier hours are the promised fix. The Sept. 22 notice lists these combined pool and tennis hours:

The WCA says the expansion at West Park Village will come "in the near future" as it hires more CSAs over the coming weeks. It hasn't given a date. Earlier in the year, the board also extended the pool slide's hours from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. to 10 a.m.–7 p.m. daily. Staff noted the slide needs an extra employee whenever it's running.

Closures haven't fully stopped. At the September board meeting, a resident said he couldn't play tennis that evening because the courts were unexpectedly closed. Holt apologized and said the closures should be temporary.

Key fobs are next. Board member Swindell said installation would take about 12 weeks. A fob can confirm that a resident is eligible, but an attendant is still needed to confirm the right person is using it. Holt described the bigger question as a matter of policy:

"Can we become a manless operation? We can. The question is, do we want to? Up to now, our policy has been no."

Swindell added that the fob system has a switch for manual or automatic entry. Green had raised a concern that staff shortages could keep closing the facilities, and the switch would give the association a way to respond.

The Next Chance to Weigh In

The WCA's meeting notice lists the next Voting Members meeting for Oct. 13, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. Hours, fobs and CSA staffing are all still being worked out, so that meeting is where these decisions will continue. Later in the month, Great West Chase packet pickup takes place Oct. 29 at the Westchase Recreation Center, 9791 Westchase Dr., from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 to 6 p.m.

Buyers looking at Westchase homes often ask about community amenities, and a change like this comes up in those conversations. If you're thinking about how your home and the WCA's facilities will look to buyers, Ali Schaaff can walk you through it. Get your free home valuation.