Starting this weekend the City of New Rochelle will have lifeguards staffed at both Hudson Park beaches seven days a week and on through until Labor Day weekend. From Memorial Day weekend until the Fourth of July weekend the City only staffs lifeguards at one beach on weekday, a longstanding policy based on usage patterns, City Hall officials say.
Confusion over lifeguard staffing became an issue this week after a New Rochelle resident was prohibited from swimming laps at the “old beach”. When the issue was raised to Mayor Bramson, the resident tells Talk of the Sound, she says the Mayor replied to her concern by observing that he had been at the beach the previous weekend and he had not experienced any problems. She considered the Mayor’s reply to be unresponsive to her concern but Talk of the Sound has confirmed that the Mayor did refer the matter to the Director of Parks and Recreation Department which then investigated the resident’s concerns.
The confusion appears to stem from a misunderstanding over how the City staffs the beaches on weekends and weekdays before the Fourth of July. No lifeguards are staffed at the “old beach” on weekdays prior to the Fourth of July weekend. The City does not allow swimming at the Hudson Park beaches if there are no lifeguards on duty. As a result the resident was not allowed to swim at the old beach which is better suited to swimming laps.
Photos taken on Wednesday afternoon support both points — there was no one using either beach so, on the one hand, it is understandable why a resident or customer would ask that the lifeguard relocate to the beach where she wanted to swim but on the other hand the absence of beach-goers on a weekday validates the City policy to keep costs down by staffing only one beach.
Confusion was heightened when a resident approached a lifeguard and attempted to make the case that the lifeguards should make arrangements to allow her to swim at the old beach. The resident characterized the response from the lifeguard as indifferent and unhelpful. The resident also observed that only one of five lifeguards was “on post” at the “new beach”.
Kelly Johnson, Executive Director of the Youth Bureau and Deputy Commissioner of the Parks and Recreation Department, told Talk of the Sound that it is official policy that a lifeguard is to refer any resident or customer with a concern to “Mr. Nash”, the supervisor of the lifeguards at Hudson Park.
Talk of the Sound would suggest additional signage be added next year to clarify the pre-Fourth of July weekday policy to avoid confusion next season. Happily, the issue is now moot for 2010 so get out there an enjoy our City’s beautiful parks and beaches.
