<p>Summer beachgoers in Vineyard Haven may find no lifeguard on duty this summer at Owen Park and Lake Tashmoo due to a town lifeguard shortage.</p>
Summer beachgoers in Vineyard Haven may find no lifeguard on duty this summer at Owen Park and Lake Tashmoo due to a town lifeguard shortage.
To date only one lifeguard has been hired for the season, Tisbury director of public works Ray Tattersall said. Usually the town has four lifeguards and one head lifeguard. Mr. Tattersall said he believes the reason is low pay. The town pays lifeguards $15.20 an hour. In other Island towns the pay starts at $17 an hour, according to spokesmen for other town park departments who report no problems filling positions this year.
Owen Park beach could also have no guards.
Owen Park beach could also have no guards.
In Tisbury, lifeguard applicants are also required to pay for a $450 certification course at the YMCA before they are eligible for employment.
Mr. Tattersall said only two people have applied since applications opened three months ago.
“The only thing stopping us from getting kids here is the low pay,” he said. “We just can’t get kids to want to do it.”
He said he has safety concerns about swimmers getting caught in the currents at Lake Tashmoo and being swept into Vineyard Sound.
Tisbury selectman and board chairman Tristan Israel said he was unaware of the problem but said the town has had trouble attracting employees in general.
“It’s a challenge we face competing with other towns that have more resources than we do,” he said.
Mr. Tattersall said the town is offering pay increases for returning lifeguards, and new hires won’t have to pay for beach training or equipment. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply on the town website job board.
Comments
My son is 18 years old, a
Carol Palm BeachMy son is 18 years old, a strong varsity swimmer and water polo player, swims in open ocean in Florida, is a current Red Cross Certified lifeguard and swim instructor at our YWCA. He is on MV for the summer and he will work for $15.20 an hour. He however will not pay $250.00 - just because?
Hi Carol,
deshandra brown EdgHi Carol,
tell him to come to Edgartown where he is welcome and appreciated and is compensated fairly. I'm sure if there is space on their roster the town would be glad to have him on board. "Typical Tisbury" cheapskates can't even get this right with summer help! Does Tisbury require the police to pay for their own academy training too?
Yes they do require the
Tisbury citizen TisburyYes they do require the police to pay for own academy training. Unless of course, you are on Mr. Meisners team and then anything is possible!
I would say pay isn't the
I call BS Vineyard HavenI would say pay isn't the reason people don't want to work as a lifeguard. It's the hassle people take from the beachgoers at Tashmoo and being out there without adequate sun protection and to be frank, working with this DPW. The bathroom situation was just rectified in the last couple of years (for lifeguards) but the number one stumbling block is working for the DPW management. It is indicative of the BOS too, no person wants to work for the town with the lack of decision making the BOS make. Mr Israel is unaware? Really and he's the Chairman?
The cost of the certification
Christopher Mara EdgartownThe cost of the certification course $450 not $250. It’s gone up a lot in the last few years. Admittedly you need to pay the instructors a decent wage too.
Another thing Chairman
Jesse Sea Tisbury, MAAnother thing Chairman Tristan knows nothing about. Ha. At what point do voters wise up? Tisbury leaders always seems to be surprised. Honestly - it's not being surprised. It's called being cheap. Now it's being cheapskates on lifeguards. But think of all the money the town will save with only 1 lifeguard! Until he/she quits, then we will save even more.
Don’t be stupid. It’s the
Patrice Daniels EdgartownDon’t be stupid. It’s the pay. Tisbury needs to increase its pay for all employees to compete with the rest of the world.
The Tashmoo channel is silted
Steve FalmouthThe Tashmoo channel is silted in I doubt anyone will be swept out to sea this year
Emergencies happen when you
First Responder TisEmergencies happen when you say "It won't happen here, or it won't happen today"
Be proactive, rather then reactive to some one getting swept to sea.
Tristan is a hard working
Joe M. VhTristan is a hard working selectman in my town. I don’t always agree with him but his heart is in the right place.
The taxes in VH are quite
Rebecca R. VHThe taxes in VH are quite high so the question is where is that going that we can't pay the going rate for lifeguards and for the certification course. What is that total of that expense for the summer? Is it worth not having safe, patrolled beaches? The Tashmoo beach is already a joke - coals from nightly fires left under the sand, trash, crazy parking arguments and, most importantly, a really tough current in the opening and towards West Chop that could carry a child or adult away in no time. These beaches are used by townspeople and by visitors looking for a gentle beach for their small children. Supervision is needed for the safety of the public. Perhaps we don't need the all the shiny new vehicles that the police have sitting in front of the station every day, or new signage? This is not a poor town and given the taxes that come in from residents and the higher taxes that come in from non residents, there is no excuse for this situation - the money is there somewhere. It is a matter of priorities.
I agree with just about
Non resident MVI agree with just about everything you say regarding the importance of lifeguards. I am all for decent cop cars, so we begin to diverge there. As for "quite high" taxes, I disagree. The tax rate in Tisbury for people who don't live there and get the residential exemption is well below average in Massachusetts. The tax rate for year round residents is even lower. The dollars of taxes paid for a normal home are about average. Given the cost of living for the employees of the town, which are astronomical compared to state averages, I would say it is no wonder there aren't enough tax dollars to pay for expected services. I don't get a vote as I am not a year round resident of the town, but as an outside observer I would say their priorities appear to be focused on keeping taxes and services low until someone forces them to do otherwise. Staffing the police department, making the school safe and legally accessible to the disabled, dredging a harbor of refuge, or posting life guards...not a priority to the voters who elect the leaders. They could pay, but they refuse.
There is a vast difference in
Taxpayer VHThere is a vast difference in the tax rates between the towns in the Vineyard and VH is not the lowest rate on the island - resident or nonresident. In 2017 the rate in Aquinnah was 5.48; Chilmark 2.75, Edgartown 3.87, ON 7.83,Y Tisbury, 9.41, West Tisbury 6.06 You can't compare the on island taxes to the Massachusetts averages when you factor in towns like Weston and Wellesley. People should be paid a fair wage that allows them to live near where they work though and that sometimes requires letting other items go in a budget. I agree that cop cars should work but the fleet certainly looked shiny and brand new as it sits in front of the station every day. Generally speaking, the vehicles that the town employees have in VH are pretty spiffy - except for the really run down truck that they had the lifeguards drive last summer. I don't agree that the town's priority is keeping taxes low but I am not sure what the priority is. The person who wrote above about the lifeguards not being a priority is correct in implying that, if there were a tragedy, it would become a priority - just like the dredging of Tashmoo is becoming a priority with every vessel that gets stuck in the channel there.
You are quite right, Rebecca,
James Kozak Vineyard HavenYou are quite right, Rebecca, the police do not need that all new SUV parking lot. But their annual campaign to whine, cry and moan about their inadequate budget, while simultaneously sowing the maximum amount of fear that they alone stand as the only barrier between chaos and civil society in Tisbury, is as predictable as it is transparent. If the other town departments have to make do with less, why not them? But then the others don’t get to cruise around with a service revolver to “protect” us from speeding mopeds, bicycles on Main Street and chicken killing dogs, do they? The sooner those shiny new SUV’s are replaced with a fleet of bicycles and our beaches are properly staffed, the island will be a better place.
It amazes me that this
Stephen Vineyard havenIt amazes me that this article or any other article hasn’t addressed the major staffing problem we have with the Police dept in Tisbury. All officers working 60+ hours a week and VERY inexperienced reserve officers running shifts. Scary situation
Did we consider regionalizing
Maybe we could regionalize this VHDid we consider regionalizing the lifeguard situation? Oh. Wait. The other towns might not want to subsidize us. Right Loberg?
I had been sticking to the
Really?! Vineyard HavenI had been sticking to the school issue but more fact checking for everyone is needed. All island towns are in the 30 lowest tax rates in the state. Fact! That is of almost 350 communities. 20 of the others are all coastal communities that like the island towns have significant contributions from folks who do not live year round in those communities. Consumables are more expensive on island. Also a fact. But please don’t use the average tax game comparing to Weston and surrounding communities. Same price house = double or triple tax rate in those communities. Fact. All published data! Check it out
Doing some quick math, the
Steve FalmouthDoing some quick math, the difference in cost for 10 weeks of 4 lifeguards for 40 hrs per week at 17$ per hr vs 15.20 per hour is 2,880$.... Seriously the town can't come up with that? Maybe a deep pocketed donor could pony up the cash.
Tisbury approved spending
Huh? TisburyTisbury approved spending pretty close to that number on a Porta Potty rental at the bridge for the summer! Awesome!
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