Swimming may be at your own risk this summer at public beaches and pools in the area.
Sheila Wieringa, recreation director for Warsaw Parks, reminded the Parks and Recreation Board Tuesday that at the April meeting they discussed the lack of applicants for lifeguard jobs.
“We ended up with four lifeguards. So we will not be guarding Pike this year. It will be ‘swim at your own risk.’ Center will be guarded Wednesday through Sunday as long as we have the staffing to uphold those hours. We will try our best to have guards from Wednesday to Sunday, which is the same schedule we had last year,” she said.
There were some lifeguard hours at Pike Lake last year.
Board member Bill Baldwin asked if they weren’t getting any applications or if they weren’t getting any qualified applicants. Wieringa said they weren’t getting any applications.
Parks Superintendent Larry Plummer told Baldwin it wasn’t just the Warsaw Parks Department having the problem.
“The Y is struggling. Winona Lake is struggling,” Plummer said, and Wieringa added that Syracuse also was having difficulties in getting lifeguards.
“There’s a lot of systems that are just going to just ‘swim at your own risk’ and have no guards, period,” Plummer said. “They feel it’s less of a headache. ... We really need 14 guards to run our system, to run it to the full capacity. We had seven last year, four this year. The trend is going the wrong direction. If it doesn’t look any better next year, that may be what we’re forced to go to – swim at your own risk at the lakes.”
Michelle Boxell, board member, asked if the parks were OK as far as liability if the lake was “swim at your own risk.” Plummer said they were and that’s the way it’s been in the past. He did talk with Mayor Joe Thallemer Tuesday about the issue and the city is going to check with its insurance carrier to make sure.
The lifeguard chairs on the beaches and piers are marked “No lifeguard on duty, swim at your own risk” when they’re not in use, he said.
Baldwin then asked if the parks had enough volunteers for its needs. Wieringa said they’re pretty good on volunteers. Plummer said Wieringa has a full recreation staff that is excited and ambitious, but Maintenance Director Shaun Gardner is a “couple of people” short for the summer.
Another issue the parks department is facing is the weather.
Gardner said, “It’s been pretty difficult to maintain parks with all the rain we’ve had. We’ve been mowing, weed-eating, edging, all that, in the rain. The crew’s been awesome about doing it, they have a good attitude.”
This weekend being Memorial Day is the parks’ grand-opening weekend, so Gardner said the laborers were going to “get after it” and hopefully get a couple days of sun to get it all done.
Wieringa said the skate park opened a month ago, but due to all the rain has only been able to be open four days.
“If it wasn’t actively raining, it was under 55 (degrees), and it’s just too cold to be out there in your gloves and things. So, yeah, we’ve only been able to be open four days, and that’s kind of discouraging, but we’re hoping for nicer weather in the future and we can get out there and get the kids skating again,” she said.
Many programs will be coming up in the next month, she said, including the Rockin’ for Riley concert featuring the Little River Band at 6:30 p.m. June 14 at Central Park. Check the parks’ Facebook page for all the planned activities and updates.
“I’m excited for this year. It’s going to be good,” she said.
