HAVERHILL — The city is looking to hire lifeguards for the Plug Pond swimming area after a tragic drowning there during the Fourth of July weekend.
City Councilor Melissa Lewandowski, chair of Natural Resources and Public Property subcommittee, hosted a meeting Wednesday evening in which city officials discussed and refined proposed ordinances related to Haverhill’s parks, conservation areas, ponds, lakes and other natural resources. The meeting also crafted regulations that will allow for camping.
They also discussed ways of enhancing public safety at Plug Pond, the city’s only public beach for swimming.
Lewandowski said the proposed ordinances, which were tweaked and refined Wednesday, are expected to go before the City Council later this month.
In the meantime, she said Mayor Melinda Barrett is working with the Haverhill YMCA, Bradford Swim Club and other groups to hire lifeguards who are willing to take shifts at Plug Pond.
“If we have enough lifeguards we could have them in place as early as this weekend,” Lewandowski said.
According to police, an 18-year-old local man drowned while swimming at Plug Pond in the early afternoon of July 7.
Divers found the Haverhill teen’s body in a more than 20-foot-deep section of the pond outside the roped-off public swimming area.
“It is not known why the teen was outside the designated swimming area,” Police Chief Robert Pistone said.
Lewandowski said lifeguard training has been set up through the Department of Recreation and the first hires have been trained.
“We definitely want to get the word out that we are actively looking for applicants since there is a lifeguard shortage,” she said. “Our community partners, the YMCA and Bradford Swim Club have lifeguards that we are hiring for shifts at Plug Pond, but we are also expanding that search and want to put it out there that we are hiring.”
She said the city hopes to have lifeguards working every weekend until the beach at Plug Pond closes the last week of August.
Referring to last month’s drowning, Lewandowski said that when a tragedy like that happens, it brings into focus what the city can do to make it a safer place.
“Whether it’s printing rules in another language, having a supervisor or lifeguard who is accessible or having increased cameras to see what’s going on, when something like that happens you look at your operating procedures. People still want to access the area but you want them to feel comfortable as an incident like this can cause general anxiety.”
Lewandowski said when the city received a grant to improve the Plug Pond Recreation Area, it came with the stipulation that the beach must be opened to non-residents, which she said resulted in an increased number of visitors seeking parking this summer.
She said residents who attended the meeting expressed concerns over overflow parking on neighborhood streets.
“They were upset at the rise in parking, especially on Belvidere Street, so as a result the mayor and police had installed temporary parking signs, which worked, but residents and even their guests were getting ticketed on weekends when the signs were up. That had to be reworked and going forward we have to recognize the needs of neighbors,” she said.
Ward 1 City Councilor Ralph Basiliere recommended the creation of a Plug Pond working committee to be tasked with determining how many lifeguards are needed, what days and times they are needed, and to deal with issues such as parking, day passes, and improving communication between park ambassadors, lifeguards and supervisors.
“Once the group is established it will come before the council to provide updates as to what new rules might be put in place,” Lewandowski said.
“We all want the same things, which are safe, accessible, and clean recreation areas across the city that are operated professionally.”
She said the mayor is also looking into offering swim lessons at the pond so people don’t have to search for them and is also working with the District Attorney’s Office and the Department of Conservation and Recreation for funding or arranging for swim lessons.
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