Roxbury Councilman: No Solution to Anticipated Hopatcong State Park Lifeguard Shortages

ROXBURY, NJ – The state has not come up with a solution to an anticipated late summer loss of lifeguards at Hopatcong State Park, a situation that becomes a burden for Roxbury police as crowds are turned away, said Roxbury Councilman Mark Crowley.

Crowley is also a member of the Lake Hopatcong Commission (LHC), which discussed the problem at a recent meeting, he said.

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“We did discuss … again about the number of lifeguards they have,” Crowley said, speaking at the July 9 meeting of the Roxbury Mayor and Council. “They know they’re going to lose the lifeguards in August. They don’t have any plan of what to do.”

Because Hopatcong State Park’s beach is situated in the Landing section of Roxbury, the state’s decision to close the park when visitor counts exceed lifeguard capacity often creates traffic jams on local roads. State park closures also tend to send turned-away visitors in search of other places to swim in the area.

The LHC has urged the state to take measures to alleviate the problem, possibly by allowing visitors to enter the grounds while limiting the number that can go into the water.

“We brought up, again, that the police are worried about all the traffic on the road,” Crowley said. “It doesn’t seem they (state officials) want to move on it. Again, can’t you just let people in?”

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One idea, floated by Crowley, would entail handing out a limited number of swimming tickets based on the number of lifeguards on duty. Park visitors who come too late to get a ticket would still be able to sunbathe, picnic and otherwise enjoy themselves.

It’s frustrating to have such a great state park that’s partially closed in the summer because they can’t … figure out a way to open the park not for swimming, just for other recreational purposes,” said the councilman.

He also pushed back against some who have suggested Roxbury pay for additional lifeguards. “It’s a state park … why does Roxbury have to pay?” he asked.

Roxbury Township Manager John Shepherd said regulations seem to limit the state’s flexibility.

“Councilman, if you recall … I believe there was a donor affiliated with the Lake Hopatcong Foundation who was willing to pay or help assist the state with providing additional lifeguards, or increase the pay, and the state wasn’t able to accept it for whatever reason,” Shepherd said. “So I think there are some local organizations that would like to help solve the problem, but they couldn’t accept that.”

Crowley also said it appears the state is “worried” about a late-summer harmful algal bloom (HAB) outbreak on the lake, something else that would create a traffic problem as it would force the closure of the lake to swimmers.

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