DEEP Cuts Lead to Changes at Hammonasset
While the summer season is in full swing, budget cuts at the state level have begun to affect many of the shoreline state parks. Due to budget reductions within the Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP), state beaches, including Hammonasset, have begun to see a reduction in staff hours.
The DEEP General Fund for this fiscal year was reduced by approximately $10 million. To allow the DEEP to operate within the new budget, the department plans to reduce parks spending by $1.8 million to continue operations and avoid layoffs.
“Our plan is designed to reduce expenses while providing the highest quality outdoor recreation opportunities for the public and ensuring public safety,” said DEEP Commissioner Robert Klee in a statement. “By carefully analyzing how and when the public uses our state park system, we will achieve the savings we need while keeping much of what we offer at our 109 parks open and available to the public.”
The department currently employs more than 500 seasonal works, and while the cuts will not lead to layoffs, they will result in a reduction in staff hours. The most evident change at Hammonasset, as well as other shoreline parks, will be a shift in lifeguard hours, according to DEEP spokesman Dennis Schain.
“Most significant change at Hammo is five-day-a-week lifeguard schedule—Wednesday through Sunday—instead of seven days,” he said. “Other than that hours are the same and nothing much changing there as it is a major park location—our most popular.”
The beaches will still be open on Monday and Tuesday, just without lifeguard coverage, according to Hammonasset Park Director Bill Mattioli.
“We decided to go with the two least busiest days of the week, which is primarily Monday and Tuesday, with the exception of the 4th of July holiday, to go with no staff and the entire full slate Wednesday through Sunday,” Mattioli said, noting that lifeguards aren’t on duty at all later in the year when the park is still busy. “We don’t have anybody on staff in September and October and we don’t prevent people from going in the water if they choose to. That is their prerogative.
“People are more than welcome to come and use the facilities,” Mattioli continued. “It is just always a good idea if you are going to bring children and you happen to be there on a Monday or Tuesday, just be advised there is no lifeguard on duty and you really need to keep a sharp eye on your children.”
Mattioli said this change in staffing was the best option for Hammonasset and all of the shoreline parks.
“We tried to make it a least painful as we could for the staff here, because they are obviously not thrilled about having their hours cut back, but also the public as well so that they don’t notice a massive impact,” he said. “It is not the most pleasant way to deal with the summer season, but it is livable and we are doing the best we can with it.”
The changes have been in place for a few weeks and will continue for the rest of the season. While there have been changes at Hammonasset, Schain said visitors won’t notice changes at another local state park, Chatfield Hollow, in Killingworth.
“Changes are negligible there,” he said. “It is not a swim area we guard, so there is no impact with changes we have made in lifeguard hours at beaches we do guard. And there is no change in hours of operation there. Only change people may see is a little less maintenance. We may not get through there as often to perform maintenance tasks.”