Tuesday, May 21, 2024
Year : 2, Issue : 21
Summer is officially less than a month away and thousands will flock to the waters in our area for Memorial Day weekend. Rockaway Beach will be a popular destination and officials there want visitors to have a good time — but a safe time as well.
The New York City Parks Department says they are expecting roughly 900 lifeguards, which is better than last summer, but still shy of the 1,000 needed to be considered fully staffed. That means there will likely be some unmanned lifeguard chairs. Those areas will be marked with appropriate flags to let swimmers know there is no swimming in certain areas.
All New York City beaches officially open to the public on Saturday and lifeguards will be on duty daily from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. through Sept. 8. Swimming is strictly prohibited at all other times, which is important to remember especially in the Rockaways where there were at least a couple deadly drownings last summer.
And in Monmouth County, New Jersey, officials held a press conference outside the historic Stone Pony to sing the praises of tourism at the Jersey Shore. Just last year tourism in the area brought in more than $29 million of revenue thanks to 10 million visitors. Officials also announced several festivals, carnivals and concerts planned for the summer.
Source: ABC7 News
