Norwich – The Spaulding Pond beach will open for swimming starting Wednesday and run through late August for the first time in nearly two years.

Lifeguards and supervisors have been hired and trained, and Uncas Health District gave the pond in Mohegan Park a clean bill of health last week.

“We are excited to open this beautiful beach again,” Norwich Recreation Director Cheryl Hancin Preston said Friday. “The water was beautiful and quite warm (Thursday).”

Spaulding Pond beach was closed last summer after budget cuts initially eliminated funding for the lifeguard staff. Public outcry convinced the City Council to restore the funding by mid-June, but it proved too late to hire trained lifeguards for the summer.

The funding for five lifeguards, a lifeguard director and an assistant director remained intact in the budget approved by the City Council June 4, and the beach will be ready to open Wednesday, said Lee Ann Gomes, Norwich Human Services director, who oversees the Recreation Department.

The beach will be open from noon to 6 p.m. seven days a week starting Wednesday, and will remain open until the third week in August, Hancin Preston said. Admission is free.

Hancin Preston is a certified lifeguard instructor and conducted training for the staff Wednesday and Thursday last week. The group also reviewed city policies and lifeguarding procedures and held an orientation for staff on their duties, she said.

Hancin Preston posted photos on the Recreation Department Facebook page last week showing lifeguard Director Mark Wirth conducting deep water rescue and backboarding drills in the pond and on the beach.

The lifeguards also laid out buoy lines to mark the swimming area in the pond.

For information about Spaulding Pond swimming, contact the Norwich Recreation Department at (860) 823-3791 or go to the department’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/norwichrec/.

c.bessette@theday.com