Officials in South Haven have decided to move forward with the possible establishment of a lifeguard program in the city.
At the city council meeting on Monday, the council approved an agreement with the United States Lifeguard Association to provide consulting services for the development of a lifeguard plan.
City manager Kate Hosier discussed the potential framework of this plan with the USLA.
“Mr. Brewster explained that he would have a small group of about four people that would help him draft the plan,” Hosier says. “Their plan is to talk to many stakeholders, including the city council, many people from the community, as well as many people who are pro-lifeguard and many people who are interested in this topic.”
The consulting group is tasked with creating two plans to offer the city options: one for having lifeguards at all or select beaches, and the other focused on staffing North and South beaches.
“They’re trying to set up what the best program would be to meet our needs, to meet the safety standards and also meet for the national certification,” Hosier says. “They’re trying to kind of help us develop a plan and we’ve asked them to look at the maximum number of beaches we have as well as at least the two minimums.”
Currently, the city employs beach enforcement staff who monitor lake conditions and stay vigilant for any dangers. The city anticipates receiving the proposed plans as soon as March.
