BY JIMMY LAWTON
North Country This Week

OGDENSBURG — Ogdensburg is one step closer to opening a beach after city council voted to allow the city manager to sign a lease agreement with the Ogdensburg Bridge And Port Authority.

The same resolution failed at a Monday meeting after Deputy Mayor John Rishe brought it to the floor rather than having it included on the agenda.

When resolutions are brought from the floor they require a supermajority vote.

Councilors Michael Powers, Nichole Kennedy and Dan Skamperle voted to block the resolution Monday with concerns that more information on the matter should be garnered first.

Other concerns centered on handicap accessibility and interest in offering the public a chance to weigh in on the matter.

The same arguments were raised Thursday at the special meeting, and thought the vote was again 4-3, this time it passed as it did not require a supermajority.

The tactic prompted a legal concern from councilor Skamperle who questioned if the previous vote needed to be rescinded since the resolution was the same, but with no attorney on hand City Clerk Cathy Jock said she was unsure if that was true.

The idea for the beach was floated in the city’s community development plan and later council voted to set a target date of July to get the beach opened.

Councilors then worked to secure a deal with the OBPA to lease the property and the city manager will now work with the Department of Health to keep things moving.

The current cost is expected to be less than $50,000, but it’s unclear how much work will need to be done.

Even if the beach is successfully prepared and approved in July, City Manager Stephen Jellie has acknowledged that finding lifeguards could be a problem. He said he has heard anecdotally that there is a shortage of lifeguards as certification renewals were difficult to obtain during the pandemic.