Brookhaven may continue to provide town lifeguards to Bellport's village beach next summer

Swimmers at Bellport's Ho-Hum Beach may be protected next summer by Brookhaven Town lifeguards, after town workers had replaced village lifeguards who walked off the job earlier this year.

Bellport Mayor Ray Fell said he asked town officials to continue providing lifeguard service for at least one more year at the beach on Fire Island. He said he may want to hire town lifeguards permanently.

The Brookhaven Town Board is expected to vote Thursday on supplying lifeguards to the village next year.

Fell said town lifeguards were "very professional" and did not cost the village extra money this year after they began patrolling Ho-Hum Beach in July. The beach, available only to village residents and their guests via a village ferry, opens on Memorial Day weekend and usually closes shortly after Labor Day.

"I think at this point it's going to be a long-term relationship between Brookhaven Town and Bellport Village," Fell said in an interview. "Their service was just wonderful. Their cost was exactly the same as our cost was. It was really a great situation."

Bellport officials closed Ho-Hum Beach on July 17 after all six village lifeguards quit over what the lifeguards said was a dispute over working conditions. Village officials said then that some lifeguards brought their children to the beach during working hours in violation of village rules.

The village board declined to rescind the lifeguards' resignations and hired Brookhaven lifeguards to replace them for the rest of the summer.

Brookhaven Town Parks Commissioner Ed Morris said he did not know how much Bellport would be charged for lifeguards next year. Fell said the village has budgeted about $37,000 for that purpose.

Fell said Bellport had paid $10,000 this year to the village lifeguards before they resigned. Morris said the village will be billed about $20,000 for the town lifeguards who replaced them.

Morris said town officials would consider supplying lifeguards beyond next summer.

"We haven't received any complaints. Everything we heard was positive as far as us providing help for them," Morris said. "It's certainly something we're willing to sit down and discuss with the village."

Morris said the town hired 123 seasonal lifeguards to work at seven town beaches, three town pools, Ho-Hum Beach and other parks. He said 24 town lifeguards were certified to work in rougher ocean conditions such as those at Ho-Hum Beach.

By Carl MacGowan

carl.macgowan@newsday.comCarlMacGowan

Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.