(May 5th, 2026) – The Town of Ayer’s Parks Department is in transition, with news that the parks director recently resigned and the town only has three lifeguards.
This update was shared at the Ayer Select Board Meeting on May 5th.
Parks Director Position
In April, the town had started the process for filling the vacant assistant park director position, then the director announced her resignation. Now the focus is the director position, according to the Town Manager.
Because of the time of year, the manager said he would appoint an interim to fill the park director position, while the town searches for a permanent director.
Ayer Needs Lifeguards
With just three lifeguards so far, the town is short of the 11 needed to maintain staffing; 15 would be ideal for some substitutes, according to the manager’s comments.
Applicants must be 16 years old, available to work weekends and the town will reimburse them for receiving their lifeguard certification. Read the job listing on the town website.
Sandy Pond Beach Season
The Parks Commission voted to open Sandy Pond Beach on Monday, June 23rd, the last day of school and close on August 23rd, the Sunday before school begins. Historically, the beach has opened on Memorial Day.
While there are staffing challenges this year, the manager said the commission also wanted to try this approach because of attendance in recent years.
Sandy Pond Beach House
The manager stated he and the DPW director are working on the Sandy Pond Beach House. A designer has been selected. When the designs are complete, the plan is to ask if Nashoba Valley Technical High School students can partner with the town to build the beach house and reduce the costs for the town.
If you have an interest, we want to share the APAC meeting video. Watch from 22 min or so (it’s less than 10 minutes).