Money Woes Lead Town to Cut Some Lifeguards at Beaches

Lifeguards staff Cedar Beach West, Shoreham Beach and Stony Brook Beach only on the weekends as a result of fiscal troubles the Town of Brookhaven is facing, according to a report published Thursday in the Times Beacon Record newspapers.

The cost-saving move follows the town's decision earlier this year to enact a $25 fee for a two-year parking permit at its beaches. According to the Times Beacon Record report, chief of staff Brian Beedenbender said the town's parks department operates at a deficit of $14 million annually.

Beedenbender said "the smaller beaches with less amenities are staffed on the weekends when people end up going there."

According to the report, Stony Brook Beach, Cedar Beach West, and Shoreham Beach are staffed by three workers and one lifeguard from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. In contrast, Cedar Beach and West Meadow Beach each have 15 staff members, with an average of eight working seven days a week.

Click here to read the full story from Times Beacon Record newspapers.

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