Mauch Chunk Lake Park will be headed into the long Fourth of July weekend with a full complement of lifeguards manning the beach, Carbon County Commissioner Chris Lukasevich reported Thursday.

The beach will have 10 lifeguards and one supervisor after struggling to find lifeguards for the past several years, he said.

“Let’s hope we can retain that throughout the majority of the season,” Lukasevich said.

The park will also be undertaking a training program for the lifeguards to keep their skills honed, he said.

The county is looking at procuring lifeguard training equipment, as well as communications gear for the lifeguards to communicate between the chairs and station, Lukasevich said.

The July Fourth holiday weekend is great time to reconnect with park with the modified admission policy that gives priority access to Carbon County residents, pavilion renters, campers, Coaldale residents with students in the Panther Valley School District and membership holders, he said.

“For those individuals and county residents, $2 for children, free for children under three, and its simply $3 for an adult for a full day,” Lukasevich said.

The Carbon County Transit’s Mauch Chunk Lake bus will make its inaugural run on July 1, offering residents of Nesquehoning, Lansford, Summit Hill and Jim Thorpe low cost transportation to the lake on Saturdays through Sept. 2, he said.

The bus will run from 10 a.m. to just after 5 p.m., Lukasevich said, at a cost of $2 per person each way.

“I want to thank Carbon Transit for working on the initiative,” he said. “These routes are already published on the county website, our social media page and Carbon Transit.

“I hope the residents of those communities will take advantage of it,” Lukasevich said. “The buzz has been really strong so far on social media.”

Hired as lifeguards were Stephen A. Behrun of Tamaqua, Taylor J. Keblish of Palmerton, Peter R. McGinley of Andreas and Jonathan R. Porambo of Lehighton.