The Vancouver Park Board has partially reversed its controversial decision to remove lifeguards from five of the city’s staffed beaches, but only for this summer.

A news release says that lifeguard services that were eliminated at Spanish Banks West, Spanish Banks East, Sunset and Third beaches are being reinstated. The decision to cut lifeguards at Trout Lake remains unchanged.

Lifeguard services at Locarno, Jericho, Kitsilano, English Bay and Second beaches are unaffected.

Veteran beach lifeguard and CUPE 1004 union representative Analise Hoffman said it was the right decision considering that high temperatures are in the forecast for Vancouver in the coming months.

“We were extremely worried about this summer due to the heat that’s incoming,” she said “We’re very happy to see that they were able to find funding to return us to four of our locations. I hope Trout Lake also gets some attention in the near future because that’s a valuable city waterway.”

The park board announced the cuts in March as a cost-saving measure. In April, Vancouver city council heard from over 30 speakers supporting a motion to allocate $600,000 from city coffers to reinstate the guards. The motion was ultimately voted down by the ABC majority on council and sent back to the park board.

During an in-camera meeting on April 27, park board commissioners voted unanimously to reallocate $600,000 from another area in a “one-time service decision.”

“This was a difficult decision in the current fiscal environment but we need to make sure our beaches are safe,” said park board chair Tom Digby. “We have a long history of having excellent beach lifeguarding in Vancouver, and residents expect that.”

Hoffman said the many dozens of lifeguards who depend on the summer work are breathing a little easier.

“I know park board learned a lot over the last few weeks, from the public, from the union and from retired lifeguards, about just how important this job is,” she said.

The park board said continued funding for the reinstated lifeguard services will need to be established in next year’s budgeting process.