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Waukesha County Parks seeks retirees for open seasonal positions
Waukesha County Parks is seeking to fill a variety of open positions with help from retirees.
WAUKESHA, Wis. - Waukesha County Parks is seeking to fill a variety of open positions with help from retirees.
Carmen Koentop loves visiting Minooka Park with her 12-year-old dog, Molly.
"My little chunky wonky," said Koentop. "She needs to put on some jogging shoes."
But Koentop doesn’t love the park enough to work there. She retired three years ago.
"I’ve thought about going back for a little bit," said Koentop. "So has my husband."
Ironically, Waukesha County Parks is recruiting people like her to clean restrooms, mow the grass and even spray pesticides.
"We see that typical Americans are living longer, healthier lives," said Darren Wasniewski, AARP Wisconsin. "They are physically fit and able to do the jobs a Parks Department would require of them."
Wasniewski said there’s been an effort throughout the coronavirus pandemic to use retirees to fill a worker shortage.
"We’ve had conversations with state-wide partners from around Wisconsin who are saying, ‘OK, we have this population of older adults. What are some ways we can get them to engage back in the workforce?’" said Wasniewski.
In May, Waukesha County announced it wouldn’t have any lifeguards stationed at its six beaches because not enough people applied.
Fox River Park, Waukesha County
"They want to hang out at the beach and party – like we used to!" said Koentop.
Starting wages were below what’s offered at places like McDonald's. It’s even less for a maintenance worker at the county golf course. Pay starts at $10.07 an hour. That’s the same rate offered to help set up for events and mop floors at the Expo Center.
Wasniewski said with the cost of gas and groceries spiking, some retirees may not be able to turn these jobs down.
"Not looking for full-time work, but maybe part-time work could really help out providing gas in the tank or providing a plane ticket to go see the grandkids," said Wasniewski.
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Flexible positions are open through early fall with options for 20-40 hours per week. Interested parties are encouraged to review the position descriptions and apply online at waukeshacounty.gov/parkjobs.