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Some NYC beaches may not open this Memorial Day weekend due to lifeguard shortage
By
Giulia Heyward
Published May 21, 2024
Modified May 21, 2024
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Spencer Platt/Getty Images
By
Giulia Heyward
Published May 21, 2024
Modified May 21, 2024
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New York City's beaches are expected to officially open this Memorial Day weekend. But some spots might be closed, or open for fewer hours, if the city fails to fill hundreds of its remaining lifeguard vacancies, officials said this week.
The city has hired 230 lifeguards so far this season, which is hundreds shy of the more than 1,000 hires needed to fully staff the city's beaches, city officials said. Parks Department spokesperson Gregg McQueen said the agency was expecting all beaches to be open this weekend, but some sections may be closed for swimming based on staffing levels.
The city has repeatedly struggled to staff enough lifeguards for all of its beaches over the last several summers – coinciding with a national lifeguard shortage that is also plaguing the nation. In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams tried to sweeten the pot for prospective lifeguards by raising the hourly wage multiple times, reaching $22 an hour, and a $1,000 bonus for some.
“Some beaches will have shortened hours or may not even be able to have a full complement because we have a national lifeguard problem that we're trying to resolve here in the city,” Adams said during a press conference on Tuesday.
Adams said “union negotiations” between lifeguards and the police and fire departments have also been an issue. At a press conference on Tuesday, Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi said she’d like to see the city retain as many as 1,500 lifeguards and she’s confident they'll hire enough lifeguards for the summer season.
Adams’ comments on Tuesday come one day after Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue said the city is once again facing “a very challenging hiring environment'' in its quest to staff beaches with enough lifeguards this summer.
“There is extensive work being done so that we see increases, especially with new recruits,” she said. “But we are dealing with a national crisis here.”
The city is on track to hire about 900 lifeguards this summer, which is still less than the 1,200 to 1,400 lifeguards needed, she said. However, McQueen said the city needs roughly 600 lifeguards to fully staff its eight beaches.
Joshi said that there are already 560 new recruits in the city’s lifeguard training program this year.
“They still have to go through the training program, but that's much more than we had last year,” Joshi said. “We are confident that we will end up with a total number that is larger this year than we had last year.”
The mayor raised eyebrows last week when he said that giving more migrants and asylum-seekers work permits would help solve the city’s lifeguard shortage because they are “excellent swimmers.” Adams has also called for slashing nearly $55 million from the parks department’s budget this summer – a move that could also compromise the maintenance of the beaches and waterfronts, elected officials and advocates previously told Gothamist.
The cuts could lead to the disappearance of roughly 700 jobs, including those that keep shores free of debris and prevent trash cans from overflowing, officials said.
During his campaign, Adams said he would work to allocate 1% of the city’s entire budget – which regularly tops $100 billion – to city parks. But more than halfway through the mayor's term, the agency currently receives less than half of 1%.
This story has been updated with information from the city Parks Department.
Tagged
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parks
Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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