Norwich — Lexie Daniels, 9, of Norwich gave the Spaulding Pond beach in Mohegan Park two thumbs-up Wednesday, and 8-year-old Dylan Crouch of Lisbon declared it to be "awesome," dumping a bucket of water over his head just before packing up for the afternoon.

The beach opened for the summer Wednesday after having been closed last year in city budget wrangling. The cut angered many families and, while funding was restored in mid-June, it proved too late to hire lifeguards for the 2017 season.

This year, the City Council dropped any consideration of cutting the $36,875 needed to hire five lifeguards, a lifeguard director and assistant director for the 10 weeks the beach will be open.

Wednesday's perfect afternoon weather brought sunbathers, parents and grandparents of small children to Spaulding Pond. And while some students still were in school, Sacred Heart School in Taftville ended last Friday, Lexie and Noah Daniels, 5, were happy to report.

"We have them all summer, so this is great," the children's great-grandmother Shirley Szalkowski said.

Last summer, she and the children's great-grandfather Frank Szalkowski would walk with the children through Mohegan Park center and go to the playground. But the children always asked: "Why can't we go swimming?" Shirley Szalkowski said.

Dylan Crouch and his sister, Makenzie, 12, also got out of school last Friday at Lisbon Central School. Their grandmother Sharon Crouch of Norwich said they went in the water, played in the sand and even took pictures of the dragonflies darting about.

"This is great for a quick afternoon of swimming," Sharon Crouch said.

Mark Wirth, the new waterfront director for the Norwich Recreation Department, said most of the patrons he met Wednesday afternoon were from Norwich and were grateful that the beach is back in service.

Blue buoys mark the shallow portion of the square-shaped swimming area, where the water is about 4 feet deep, Wirth said. A line of red buoys marks the final swimming boundary, where the water is about 6 feet deep. The buoys stretch across the entire pond, but Wirth said the area beyond the red buoys is only for lifeguard training. The staff trains from 11 to 11:45 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

The beach will be open noon to 6 p.m. seven days a week through the third week in August. Admission is free.

Wirth said the staff is working on adding other activities, as well, including possible evening movies and a DJ during the day. They also plan to bring books for children to read while hanging out at the beach.

"We're working on a bunch of things," he said.

c.bessette@theday.com