SOUTH HAVEN (WWJ) -- One Michigan beach town has been debating whether lifeguards should be reinstated to oversee the waterfront.
Three people drowned in the South Haven area last summer, and there were a reported 23 rescues along that stretch of Lake Michigan.
The city, which is located 60 miles southwest of Grand Rapids and serves as a popular Michigan vacation destination, stopped using lifeguards back in 2001.
Instead, South Haven has been using a flag system to warn people about the conditions in Lake Michigan.
Additionally, the South Haven Area Emergency Services recently bought a drone that can drop a flotation device to struggling swimmers from overhead.
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The South Haven Beach Safety Committee recently voted against the recommendation of lifeguards, though it will now be up to the South Haven city council to review the matter.
"I worry that we haven’t done right enough by them (families of drowning victims)," committee member Kameron Daugherty said (via the South Haven Tribune). "I’m concerned we’ve closed the door on further discussion on lifeguards. I think our recommendation would be a whole lot more effective with trained and certified lifeguards.”
Meanwhile, other committee members think that South Haven residents should have the final say.
“Since residents would have to pay for lifeguards, the city residents should vote on it,” said Tim Stegeman, committee chair.
The program would reportedly cost $197,000 in its first year of operation with trained and certified employees, and about $167,000 a year afterwards.