$3 Million for More Lifeguards, Park Improvements
Gateway Hires Additional 15 Lifeguards to Increase Safety at Beaches - Weiner Calls on the City to Match Federal Efforts
Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Brooklyn and Queens), along with Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer (D-Queens) and Councilman Joseph Addabbo (
New lifeguards and seasonal rangers will help increase safety at Jacob Riis Park beaches under a $3 million federal initiative, Representative Anthony D. Weiner (D – Brooklyn and Queens) said today. The new resources will enable the national park to fully staff beaches with lifeguards – not only this year, but for the next 10 years.
Over the past few years, the budget for Gateway National Park has not had sufficient funds to hire lifeguards to patrol all of the beaches. As a result, four or five beaches in Riis Park were forced to remain closed. With Riis Park receiving approximately 350,000 visitors each summer, the beaches open to the public have become cramped and crowded.
Rep. Weiner said the new resources, which provide $3 million each year for 10 years, would enable the National Park Service to hire an additional 15 lifeguards to keep all of their beaches open. To date, the Park Service has already hired 13 new lifeguards as well as 18 more staff. The new personnel will allow the National Park System to open 30 percent more beaches this year then they have in past years.
As these federal resources can only be used to hire new lifeguards at Riis Beach, which is operated and maintained by the National Park Service, beaches operated by the City may still remain closed due to lack of safety personnel. The number of lifeguards employed by the City remains about 10% below full staffing levels. Weiner called on the city to match his efforts and provide additional funding to keep beaches open for New Yorkers.
Rep. Weiner said, “In the most urban part of our country, beaches and access to the ocean provide entertainment and escape from the stress of the Big City. I hope the city will match these federal resources and give more hardworking New Yorkers the opportunity to relax at the beach.”
The new funding is part of the Federal government’s Centennial initiative, which provides a $50 million nationwide boost to National Parks to hire seasonal staff. The initiative provides both public and private resources to complete renovation projects before 2016, the 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service.
