Residents turned out in large numbers last week to voice their concerns about the chaotic conditions at the Waterfront Park pool in Great Neck Estates at a Board of Trustees meeting.

Martha Cohen, a resident of 57 years, raised a series of issues in a speech she prepared before the board Aug. 14, shedding light on various problems affecting the pool’s operation and safety. Alongside Cohen were nearly 30 residents who wanted to speak about their own personal experiences at the pool or show support for needed changes.

Cohen’s speech encompassed eight key topics, with a focus on the pool’s functionality and the overall swimming experience being disrupted.

“The pool is working. And we are swimming. And we are socializing. And we are having a marvelous summer,” she said, “But we’re working at it. It’s not just happening. We’re really working.”

She said residents are trying to enforce various rules such as the set swimming and water polo times, babies wearing swimming diapers and other standard swimming guidelines.

“This summer of all summers, you have to say thank you to these residents who have really kept the pool nice,” Cohen said.

One of the primary issues raised by Cohen is the need for earlier preparation in terms of staffing and equipment. Lifeguard behavior was also a big point of contention, as Cohen described instances of lifeguards being engrossed in their phones, allowing unsupervised children to engage in unsafe behavior that affected swimmers’ routines.

Village of Great Neck Estates Mayor William Warner said issues with lifeguards are part of the ongoing problem of attracting quality people to join the workforce.

“The workforce is not what it once was,” he said, “You’re not getting these quality kids, college kids that are coming back.”

The mayor vowed to implement changes to rectify the current situation.

“It’s got to change, it will change…we will not have anything like this next year. I guarantee it,” he said.

Safety is a key priority for Warner. He emphasized that disregard for pool rules would mean violators face “hell to pay for it” and stiff consequences, including potential suspension of pool privileges.

“I’m not worried about liability,” he said. “I’m worried about safety. I don’t want to see anyone get hurt.”

Resident Adriano Farrell also shared her concerns during the meeting, saying she thinks “water polo is a lawsuit ready to happen.” She recounted an incident before the board where she narrowly avoided death due to a stray ball landing close to her before the stairs.

“I would have been killed,” she said, “really, because I was so close to the stairs going to the showers. So I really think it’s a very dangerous thing.”

Another resident, Vance Bennett, who works security at a major airline company, said he saw people he knew from Saddle Rock and Harbor Hills taking advantage of the community pool and there should be more enforcement about people coming in.

Bennett also made a comment on the big picture change in the attitudes of people. He said at the airline he used to get one disruptive person a year, now it’s twice a month and that “everything we’re talking about is part and parcel of the world we’re living in right now.”