One of the most anticipated attractions in recent memory in Hattiesburg is ready to begin building its staff, as officials from the Hattiesburg Convention Commission recently announced that the hiring process has begun for Serengeti Springs, the new water park currently being constructed adjacent to the Hattiesburg Zoo.
Applications are now being taken for positions such as lifeguards, slide attendants, dining attendants, guest experience associates and retail associates, with pay starting at $12 per hour.
“We are excited to get to the employment phase of the project, and we’ve gotten a number of inquiries, so we’re at the state where we’re formally hiring,” said Rick Taylor, executive director of the Hattiesburg Convention Commission, which operates the zoo and the water park. “We’ve got a lot of positions, but probably the ones that are most critical are lifeguard and slide attendant.
“We’re trying to get the word out to everybody that’s interested, and I think it’s a great seasonal or summertime job that a lot of high school students find it interesting for them to consider.”
To that end, commission officials will hold a job fair from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. March 2 at Ladha’s Pavilion at the Hattiesburg Zoo, 107 South 17th Avenue in Hattiesburg. Participants will have the opportunity to apply for positions in person, speak with Serengeti Springs team members, learn about available positions and conduct interviews onsite.
“We will be certifying all of the lifeguards … so we want to get people who might want to consider being a lifeguard to go ahead and apply, come on board, and let us interview,” Taylor said. “Our plan is to do most of that training in April, so we’ve got a little (more than) a month to go ahead and build that roster.
“We’ll be operating seven days a week, so it will take a number of folks. It’s roughly two shifts or a little bit smaller, so we’ll be looking at that through Labor Day, so it’s a substantial number of positions that are open. And these are actually great jobs for seniors as well – folks who want to get out and have a little something to do where maybe where they’re retired but can make a little money and socialize and be in a unique environment.”
To view all open positions, applicants can visit www.hattiesburgconventioncommission.com and click on the “Work With Us” link at the top of the page.
“I would say if (applicants) don’t have computer access, then calling the zoo (at 601-545-4576) would be a mechanism for them to go through. But if they do go through the website, that will list all the open positions we have.”
Each position on the website lists essential duties and responsibilities, qualification requirements, essential job qualifications, knowledge and skills, shift information and a summary of the job. Applicants are able to fill out biographical information and submit a resume for their desired jobs or jobs.
Officials expect the $10.5 million water park to be ready and open to the public sometime before the end of spring, hopefully in time for Memorial Day.
Construction of the water park is taking place in two phases. Work on the current Phase I, which began last summer, will include the aforementioned Fusion Fortress Water Play Structure, an entry building with a gift shop and showers, a 150,000-gallon lazy river, a swim-up pool and bar, group pavilions, cabanas, food trucks, a staff office building, and loungers and Adrirondack chairs. The Fusion Fortress will consist of nine slides of varying heights, along with multiple water play areas and two bucket dump stations.
Underneath the Fusion Fortress will be a Life Floor, which provides a cushioned floor that is anti-microbial and will hold no standing water. The Life Floor will feature an additional 19 spray toys.
Work on Phase II of the water park will begin anywhere from two to four years after the opening of Phase I. That phase will consist of a tower of four water slides.
The $10.5 million price tag for Serengeti Springs will be funded by the Hattiesburg Convention Commission’s earned revenues, along with the existing 2-percent restaurant tax at Hattiesburg restaurants. The water park will be designed to be self-sufficient and profitable.
As far as parking, the zoo will continue its shared agreement for parking space with Hardy Street Baptist Church, in addition to the zoo’s current parking.
“We are still on target,” Taylor said. “We’re starting to see some of the landscaping go in, and we’re down to the last little bit of concrete – we’ve got to pour out on the apparatus area itself.
“A lot of people have talked about seeing the water run and the buckets dump, and we are in the process of adjusting and tuning that.”
For more information on the park, including ticket sales, visit www.serengetispringsms.com.
