'Lack of communication': Bourne beach-goers advised to swim at own risk, need lifeguards
BUZZARDS BAY — There will be no lifeguards assigned to town beaches this summer due to the difficulty in hiring enough certified workers — and town officials are displeased with a late notice of the situation.
Town Administrator Marlene McCollem disclosed the development two hours into the Board of Selectmen’s May 10 meeting, and just seven days before the annual town election and approaching summer.
The news visibly caught selectmen by surprise, but there was evolving recognition that hiring municipal lifeguards is no longer a sure thing.
Lifeguard coverage and hiring difficulties have proved to be a politically delicate and protracted issue across the past decade. B ut the town has always managed to provide guards at Monument Beach and also offer swim lessons for children, often at the insistence of tax-paying seasonal residents and weekly renters with kids.
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Town officials report difficulty recruiting certified lifeguards since January
Not this year. The Recreation Department's effort to hire lifeguards has been fruitless. McCollem said a $20 hourly pay rate is competitive, but the issue remains one of securing enough certified workers willing to work throughout the summer months without time off.
“I’m sure this a problem everywhere,” Selectmen Chairman Peter Meier said May 11. “But we need to have been told this sooner than at the eleventh hour. We’re a waterfront community. There was no advance warning. A lack of communication. Poorly done. We could have done better on this. It’s one less amenity for summer taxpayers.”
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Meier said lifeguards are more than valuable at Monument Beach where swimmers enjoy the water within yards of power craft at the neighboring marina berths.
The town has been recruiting heavily since January, McCollem said.
"We don’t want to hire uncertified lifeguards," she said. "And I don’t recommend short-staffing. We do not have the staff and cannot find them.”
McCollem said she plans to try to determine if swim lessons are a possibility. In the meantime, beachgoers will be advised to swim at their own risk.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Bourne beach-goers advised to swim at own risk, with shortage of lifeguards
