Westport Beach Committee Confronts Budget Constraints and Lifeguard Staffing Shortage

The Westport Beach Committee meeting primarily focused on addressing budget constraints for fiscal year 2025 and ensuring adequate lifeguard staffing for the upcoming beach season. The committee expressed concerns over limited financial resources, which could impact lifeguard recruitment, beach operations, and early season openings.

The committee’s financial deliberations revealed a tight budgetary situation for the upcoming fiscal year, with an original allocation of $70,000 for personnel services nearly exhausted in the previous year. This led to a proposal to increase the budget to at least $80,000 to provide a buffer for potential pay raises and additional hires. The committee emphasized the need to recruit and recertify lifeguards, with 11 of the previous year’s 14 lifeguards expected to return. Given plans for a maximum of 13 lifeguards—12 full-time and one alternate—there was an expressed urgency to expand the personnel budget to ensure beach safety.

The discussion also touched on the logistical challenge of potentially opening the beach earlier, specifically on weekends leading up to its official opening in June. However, financial limitations currently restrict this possibility, with the budget only supporting two weeks of early-season operation. The committee acknowledged that opening the beach on Memorial Day weekend would require additional funds that are not currently available.

Beyond personnel concerns, the meeting addressed the need for budget adjustments across various line items. Discussions highlighted an overspend on professional services, particularly due to increased costs in trash pickup and portable restroom rentals. The committee noted that expenditures exceeded the budgeted $19,000, reaching over $20,000, which prompted a call for more careful budgeting in future contracts. Suggestions were made to seek quotes from multiple vendors to ensure competitive pricing and efficiency.

The committee also explored options for improving beach access and operations, including the potential installation of electronic gates. While the concept of automated gates was met with interest due to its potential to streamline access during busy periods, concerns were raised about the feasibility and reliability of such systems. Malfunctions could exacerbate congestion issues, particularly during peak hours, and a manual override was suggested as a necessary contingency. The committee recognized the need for further research and site assessments by sales representatives to evaluate viable options while maintaining parking capacity.

In addressing capital improvements, the committee discussed the replacement of beach gates, with brands like LiftMaster and BFT identified as potential options. The cost of installation was noted as a concern due to governmental project expenses and potential prevailing wage laws. A $1,500 budget allocation for gate replacement was deemed insufficient, given estimates of $2,500 per gate, potentially totaling $10,000 for four gates. The environmental conditions of the beach, prone to salt and sand corrosion, necessitated consideration of durable materials and possibly underground wiring for electronic gates.

Further capital improvement discussions included the need to replace a lifeguard stand, with estimates ranging from $1,500 to $4,000 depending on the model. The committee considered reaching out to local vendors and potentially involving vocational school representatives to explore cost-effective solutions. The importance of aligning budgetary changes with overall capital expenses was emphasized to ensure timely proposal submissions and approvals.

The meeting also touched on operational aspects, including the suggestion to redirect a percentage of parking ticket revenue to support beach operations. Current fines were seen as insufficient deterrents, prompting discussions about increasing fines to discourage illegal parking. The committee considered categorizing illegal parking as trespassing to potentially increase fines.

Finally, the committee discussed the potential implementation of a junior lifeguard program aimed at high school-aged children. This initiative would involve training exercises conducted by existing lifeguards, addressing staffing concerns and creating a pipeline of trained lifeguards for future employment. The absence of swimming lessons in town further highlighted the potential benefits of having lifeguards double as swimming instructors.

Note: This meeting summary was generated by AI, which can occasionally misspell names, misattribute actions, and state inaccuracies. This summary is intended to be a starting point and you should review the meeting record linked above before acting on anything you read. If we got something wrong, let us know. We’re working every day to improve our process in pursuit of universal local government transparency.
Town Administrator:
Jim Hartnett
Beach Committee Officials:
William Underwood, Sean Leach, Leone Farias, Perry Long

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