Carbon County officials are thankful for the lifeguards they have on staff.

On Thursday, the commissioners talked about a problem with finding enough certified lifeguards to fill all the available positions at Mauch Chunk Lake this summer."We had a problem at the lake with the availability of lifeguards, so our numbers early on were down because if you don't have adequate lifeguards, you can't charge admission," Commissioner William O'Gurek said, adding that since the beginning of summer, they have been able to hire a few more guards."We are thankful for the guards working for us," he said.One example of dedication, O'Gurek pointed out, was a girl hired to work in the office at Mauch Chunk Lake Park. She saw that there was a need for lifeguards so she took it upon herself to get certified and switch positions."Thank God she did. She is very valuable to us," O'Gurek said.Commissioner Thomas J. Gerhard agreed with O'Gurek's thoughts.He added that the salary board addressed the hourly wage, but feels it should be looked at again since the certification costs, which are the lifeguards' responsibility, average around $300 with recertification fees of $100 every two years.Gerhard said that the county is looking at ways to help get lifeguards certified and may even look to join with other community pools to help cut down on the certification costs.O'Gurek said that the commissioners also plan at looking at reimbursing certification fees."I think the gals who went and got certified this year have saved us much more than it would cost to reimburse them for their training," he said. "I think it's something we need to discuss when we address the entire lifeguard situation."In other matters, the commissioners discussed or acted on the following items:• Approved the calling of a professional tree service to clear trees that fell in the county parking lot behind the annex during the severe thunderstorms on Wednesday.• Gerhard also said that the county prison, communications center and dog shelter, all located off Route 93 on the Broad Mountain, are having issues with rattlesnakes coming out of the woods and sunning themselves in the parking lots."Whenever you go up to any of our facilities, please use extreme caution when walking around," he said.• Approved the request for release of funds and findings of no significant impact for two Community Development Block Grant projects. They include Lansford Borough's ADA handicap ramp project; and Franklin Township's clearance and demolition at 16 Willow St.• Advertised the closure of Bridge 17, the covered bridge, along Covered Bridge Road in Lower Towamensing Township, effective Thursday through Nov. 2, to allow for repairs and painting to be completed.• Approved the 2014-2015 grant-in-aid application and agreement with the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole for the improvement of the adult probation services through the reimbursement of eligible salaries of professional staff. The estimated revenue is $65,000.• Approved the 2014-2015 renewal of the State Offender Supervision fee five-year agreement, which commenced July 1, 2012, and ends June 30, 2017.• Approved the retirement of Mary A. Rayno of Beaver Meadows, effective Sept. 9. She was employed as the legal secretary II in the district attorney's office.• Accepted the resignation of Devin L. Parambo of Summit Hill as temporary clerk in the prothonotary's office, effective July 10.• Approved the court appointment of Mary L. McElmoyle of Jim Thorpe as tipstaff in court administration, effective July 28.• Approved the prison board appointments of Joshua A. Hill of Lehighton and Sabria K. McLaughlin of Weatherly, both part-time corrections officers at the prison, effective Aug. 4.