Mt. Pleasant Town Board Set to Hire New Pool Director
The Mount Pleasant Town Board is prepared to appoint a new pool director and raise the hourly salaries of seasonal workers at the town pool and day camp.
At the recommendation of Superintendent of Recreation and Parks Harry Canniff and the recreation and parks commission, the board is scheduled to name Jon Battista as pool director on Tuesday night. Battista will replace Pat Salvatore.
Following last week’s town board work session, Supervisor Joan Maybury said Salvatore gave no reason for relinquishing the pool director position.
Battista has been the pool’s assistant director for the past eight years, Maybury said. He will be paid $13,800 for the season. His responsibilities would start from the time he is officially hired and continue past Labor Day, she said.
Last week, the town board agreed to raise the salaries of its seasonal employees at the town camp by 25 cents per hour and by as much as $2 an hour for pool employees. Canniff sought to boost the pay for those employees at both venues who have experience in hopes of attracting them to remain for another season.
Despite tight finances, Maybury and the board supported the pay hikes at the pool and camp, which are funded through user fees. The higher pay is “definitely an expense that pays for itself,” Maybury said.
In a Feb. 11 letter to the town board, Canniff stated the pool and camp staffs also received a 25 cent an hour raise in 2012.
“If we look back at last year, with a small increase we continued to manage the staff with a savings of over $22,000,” he stated.
Though all camp workers are set to receive an hourly increase of 25 cents, the pay raises will vary at the pool, based on years of experience. Some pool employees will not receive any pay increase.
For example, first-year lifeguards will earn the same $7.25 hourly rate that those in the position received last year. However, lifeguards with previous experience working at the town pool will see their hourly salaries go up between 50 cents and $2 per hour.
