With summer fast approaching and preparations underway for reopening the town beach this weekend, the Parks and Recreation Commission announced Monday night that Michelle Lauria, a member of the commission, had been appointed beach director.
According to Human Resources Director and Assistant Town Administrator Marie Sobalvarro, Lauria applied for the beach director position after the commission posted the opening and was recommended for the position by the commission. Lauria was appointed beach director May 17 by the town administrator, in compliance with the Town Charter. Sobalvarro pointed to state regulations for so-called “special municipal employees,” such as Parks and Rec commissioners, to explain why Lauria’s hiring is not considered a conflict of interest.
Starting this weekend, the beach will be open only on weekends until June 19 when the schools let out for the summer. After that, the beach will be open full time, Lauria reported to the commission Monday. On days when the beach is open, sticker checking hours are 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. and lifeguards will be on duty from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
With the beach opening soon, planning and registration for swimming and boating lessons are also underway. There will be three two-week sessions, starting with the first day of class on July 5 and ending with the last day on August 7.
This year, the town will be offering a new swimming program called StarFish. Lauria explained that unlike the American Red Cross swimming program that has been taught in the past, the StarFish program is based on stroke mastery; students have to meet benchmarks for swim strokes and safety before moving to the next level. Lauria also said that the top level of the StarFish program is an endurance course that will be an opportunity for students to train for competitive swimming.
Due to the pandemic, class sizes will be limited. The number of students in each class will depend on the students’ swimming ability, Lauria said. She explained that since younger students need more hands-on instruction, the beginning levels will be one-on-one unless a few students register together as a pod. Students can be registered in a pod only if they are all at the same level, however. As for the older students, classes won’t be private, but they will be small. The town will also be offering adult swim classes for the first time.
Boating lessons will run in a similar fashion with limited class sizes, and staff has been hired to teach sailing, canoeing, and kayaking. Lauria said she and Bob O’Shea, the chair of Parks and Rec and the harbormaster, are currently deciding what skills will be taught in the lessons as the boating curriculum is also changing this summer.
Lauria emphasized that the beach is still looking for more lifeguards and volunteers. If students are interested in lifeguarding or volunteering as a water safety aide, they should fill out the application on the beach webpage and contact Lauria by email at mlauria01451@gmail.com. WSA training will be held June 5 at 8 a.m.
As for the staff that has already been hired, Lauria said she was happy about the group she has assembled. “After the almost last year-and-a-half of COVID restrictions, everyone seems excited to be back on the beach,” she told the Press. “It’s a great staff that we’ve managed to put together and I’m excited for it to start.”
Valerie Hurley contributed to this story.
Editor’s Note: Hannah Taylor is a member of this year’s beach staff. When this story was assigned, the Press was aware she had been hired as an instructor, but not that Lauria had been appointed director, thus making her Taylor’s boss.
