Three Rivers Park District Begins Search for Seasonal Workers
On a cold winter’s day, Elm Creek Park Reserve in Maple Grove becomes a go-to spot for anyone trying to fight cabin fever.
“Anyone that’s been here in the winter would agree that it’s magical out here,” said Mike Tracy, the human resources manager for the Three Rivers Park District.
A typical weekend at Elm Creek can draw hundreds of people for tubing, snowboarding and cross-country skiing.
The park doesn’t look quite like a winter wonderland in mid-September, which makes it the perfect time to start hiring staff for those winter months.
“Great winter employment opportunities, whether you want to work inside or outside, we have both available,” Tracy said.
Elm Creek needs between 200 to 300 seasonal employees to operate the lift, the tubing hill, and handle other customer service needs.
However, the current labor shortage is threatening to give Elm Creek a bad case of frostbite.
Free ski passes are one of the incentives for people who work at Elm Creek Park Reserve.
‘Staffing has been difficult’
“Yeah staffing has been difficult for us over the course of the last year or so,” Tracy said. “Last year here at Elm Creek, in the winter, we had some staffing challenges.”
Those challenges last year resulted in them having to move resources throughout the park district to make sure they had adequate staff at the tube and skill hill. Their goal this year is to ensure they don’t have to do that again.
Traditionally, the park hires high school and college students to staff these positions. But now, they’re asking seniors, stay-at-home parents, or anyone with a little extra free time who wants some additional money to consider the seasonal employment.
“Obviously with inflation and everything that’s going on, supplementing income has been big over the last couple of years,” Tracy said. “What a better place to do it than here, enjoying nature.”
The pay range is between $13 to $18 an hour, and employees get the added benefit of free passes for skiing and snowboarding.
The hope is to have everyone hired by the first week of December.
“I mean, it’s 80 degrees here today, but soon it will be a magical winter wonderland,” Tracy said. “And like I said, there’s not a better place to work this winter season.”
For a list of all of the available positions at Elm Creek Park Reserve, you can go to the Three Rivers Park District website.
Related: Elm Creek Park Reserve Ready for Snow, Still Needs Seasonal Workers
