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Shady Oak Beach reports busy season, training and safety drills; season-pass revenue up 45%
Summary
Shady Oak Beach managers reported a 10-week summer season with heavy use, increased season-pass revenue, expanded programming and extensive lifeguard training, including multiple rescues and emergency-action-plan drills.
Shady Oak Beach staff summarized the site’s 2025 season for the Park Board, reporting high usage, expanded amenities and significant lifeguard training and emergency preparedness efforts.
Chandra Vella, who directs Shady Oak Beach operations, said the facility opened June 7 and ran a 10-week season through Aug. 17, then reopened without lifeguards and concessions from Aug. 22 through Labor Day. The season employed 53 part-time workers selected from about 150 applicants; staff performed roughly 11,000 hours of work during the season. Vella said the Wibit inflatable course ran daily from 1 to 5 p.m. and was “very popular” with patrons.
On safety, Vella reported 17 lifeguard rescues (life-threatening rescues that required a direct lifeguard intervention) and 24 first-aid assists (e.g., bloody noses, heat-related issues, bee stings). The beach maintained multiple written emergency action plans (EAPs) — for missing persons on land and water, medical emergencies, spinal-injury scenarios and other contingencies — and practiced those EAPs twice a month with full staff drills. Staff recorded about 800 hours of training and pre-/post-season setup and tear-down work.
Vella said Shady Oak certified six new lifeguards this year and recertified 10 others; the site participates in regional lifeguard competitions and placed second in an annual Twin Cities lifeguard competition. Hennepin County contributed a lifeguard-services grant of $9,652 (shared across partner cities) that the beach used for safety equipment and gear, Vella said.
On attendance and revenue, Vella said the city increased season-pass prices by $5 for residents (from $15 to $20) and nonresidents (from $30 to $35), and increased the daily fee from $6 to $7; that change produced a 45% increase in season-pass revenue from 2024 to 2025. Vella said daily guest fees were a separate revenue line (about $95,000) and that staffing remains the largest expense. The beach closed seven full days and delayed or closed early six additional times this season because of weather — heavy rain, low temperatures or air-quality advisories — which affected gross concessions receipts.
On water quality and lake management, Natural Resources staff said Shady Oak Lake is high quality, spring-fed, and monitored by the city and the 9 Mile Creek Watershed District. They said the district has been treating Eurasian milfoil in the lake, first noted in 2019, to limit aquatic invasive-plant spread.
The board and staff discussed safety, volunteer recruitment for off-season roles, use trends (resident vs. nonresident pass mix), and the trade-offs of weather-exposed outdoor facilities. Vella and staff closed by inviting the board to contact them with further follow-up questions.
