It was looking iffy for a while, but East Side Beach in Oconto Falls will soon be open for swimming this summer.

City Administrator Peter Wills said staff should be putting in the raft and docks this week, ahead of the expected opening day of Saturday, June 8.

Late last year, the city’s Common Council approved its 2024 budget without funding for lifeguards at the beach, meaning docks and rafts weren’t going to be available for swimmers this summer.

Wills said a lack of applicants to be lifeguards prompted that decision as the city struggled with staffing throughout the 2023 season. The rafts were closed at least three weekends along with assorted other days, he said.

However, with the urging from residents, the city continued to advertise to fill the positions.

The city ended up with enough lifeguards to have staffing from 1 to 7 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

“If we can coordinate more schedules and have enough lifeguards then we could extend that,” Wills said.

The city has ordered a new raft to replace the one that had been in use for about 40 years, but Wills said he isn’t sure if that will be ready for opening day. If it isn’t, then the old one will be put on the water and swapped out eventually for the newer version.

“The (new) one will be in better shape,” Wills said. “The other one was just showing its age.”

The beach will remain open on days when lifeguards are not on duty, but it will be swim at your own risk. The city’s seasonal staff will do occasional checks from late mornings to early afternoons.

No concessions will be offered this year.

Contact Kevin Dittman at 920-431-8416 or kdittman@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Oconto Falls East Side beach will have lifeguards this summer