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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The city&#8217;s financial crunch is affecting the parks program and forcing a cutback in the hiring of summer help.</p><p>Lifeguard and pool attendants spots won&#8217;t be filled as a result of the administration&#8217;s decision not to open the pool at Kistler Elementary School during the summer recess. Park attendants won&#8217;t be hired either. Only a limited number of labor and maintenance positions will be filled.</p><p>&#8220;The parks are not closed. The attendants just won&#8217;t be there,&#8221; city Administrator Ted Wampole said Friday.</p><p>He estimated the cuts will save the city $40,000.</p><p>&#8220;Last year I think they hired 34 to 35. It will be significantly below that,&#8221; Wampole said.</p><p>Mayor Tony George warned the city was facing a deficit of between $1 million and $1.5 million before more than $700,000 was spent to clean up after the March 14 blizzard. However, some relief might come if the city can obtain reimbursement for the emergency cleanup costs from the federal government.</p><p>City council has resisted the mayor&#8217;s efforts to improve the finances and challenged the administration to cut costs, Wampole said. He defended the administration&#8217;s latest move, saying that the attendants sometimes were the only people at the parks.</p><p>&#8220;This isn&#8217;t just financial. These parks weren&#8217;t being utilized,&#8221; Wampole said, adding, &#8220;These are hard decisions.&#8221;</p><p>The city is in the process of completing an analysis of the parks. Equipment at some of them hasn&#8217;t been upgraded in years and is either damaged or in poor condition. Hazards will be removed and any improvements will be made based on the budget situation, Wampole said.</p><p>The pool did better than the $5,000 budgeted for fees last year. It brought in $6,666, according the city.</p><p>Still Wampole said it was &#8220;underutilized&#8221; and there were a number of complaints that police had to respond to.</p><p>&#8220;That can be corrected by proper police methods,&#8221; countered George Brown, president of the South Wilkes-Barre Residents&#8217; Association. The pool, Miner Park and Barney Farms are among the parks in his neighborhood.</p><p>&#8220;We need a place for kids to go,&#8221; said Brown, a former city councilman for District A and mayoral candidate who ran against George in the 2015 mayoral primary.</p><p>He criticized the cuts as unnecessary.</p><p>&#8220;The money can be made up by other cost-cutting measures,&#8221; Brown said. He cited cutting the mayor&#8217;s annual $82,000 budgeted salary and other positions in City Hall as examples.</p><p>&#8220;I know I would have reduced my salary,&#8221; Brown said.</p><p><ins>For other local news stories, <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/category/local" target="_blank">click here</a>.</ins></p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jerry Lynott</p><p>jlynott@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Wilkes-Barre to reduce summer hires, not open Kistler pool