Lynbrook officials are working to keep the pools at Greis Park open as the village faces a late-summer shortage of lifeguards.
Mayor Alan Beach addressed the staffing issue at the Aug. 24 Village Board meeting, explaining that the village loses many of its lifeguards toward the end of the summer as students return to school.
Despite the shortage, Beach said the village does not plan to close the pool early.
“We are short, but we will keep the pool open,” Beach said.
Village records show officials were seeking a total of eight lifeguards to provide full coverage at the pools. The village moved to hire four seasonal Grade 1 lifeguards — James Deneen, Gwendolyn Gleason, Jake Mylan and Dillon Scala — as part of its effort to maintain staffing.
Officials had also identified five additional New York State ocean lifeguards who were available on a temporary basis. According to correspondence included in the board packet, the lifeguards could provide coverage for three days at a cost of $400 each for an 11-hour shift.
The additional staffing would help fill the gap left as school resumes and many of the students who worked as lifeguards throughout the summer become unavailable.
Beach has previously emphasized the importance of keeping the village pool available to residents throughout the summer.
“The village pool is a recreational facility many of our residents look forward to utilizing during the summer when kids are off from school,” Beach said. “Like any public asset, it needs regular maintenance and upgrades to remain safe, reliable and modernized.”
Beach reiterated at the Aug. 24 meeting that despite the seasonal staffing challenge, the village intends to keep the pool operating for residents through the remainder of its season.
“We’ll make it work,” Beach said.
