Riviera Beach managers leave over COVID-19 concerns
By Christopher Bennett
Correspondent
Another member of the management team at Lake Geneva’s Riviera Beach recently stepped down amidst concerns over COVID-19.
Interim Manager Yeager Borchert resigned his position on May 31. His brother, who also worked at the beach, stepped down as well.
Borchert’s departure comes after manager George Steffen and assistant manager Joe Clifford resigned in protest at the May 19 Lake Geneva City Council meeting over the beach reopening.
The City Council voted 4-3 to reopen the beach. The beach opened for Memorial Day weekend.
On May 28 the City Council voted against a proposal requiring tourists, and anyone else, to wear a mask in public whenever crowds prevent proper social distancing guidelines.
“Despite suggestions to the contrary, the city does not have the legal authority to close the city to non-residents,” City Administrator Dave Nord said. “Likewise, the city has very little statutory authority to require residents and visitors to follow recommendations from the CDC (Center for Disease Control) or WHO (World Health Organization).”
Nord said public input was split evenly between those who wanted the beach to open and those who wanted it to remain closed. Nord added that once the city decided to open Riviera Beach the responsibility to do so safely rested with beach staff.
Nord said the city, the Downtown Business Association and Visit Lake Geneva – the regional tourism authority – are taking steps to educate and remind the public of best health practices while in Lake Geneva. Nord said all involved are encouraging guidelines set forth by the CDC and WHO.
In light of the decisions by the City Council Borchert decided his staff needed to be deemed essential personnel during the current pandemic.
Borchert said he approached his superiors about raises for staff, due to concerns over the virus and added duties, such as cleaning bathrooms during a pandemic.
“On top of COVID, I didn’t think it was wrong to ask for additional compensation,” Borchert said. “The beach makes hundreds of thousands of dollars every year.”
Nord said beach revenues totaled $350,000 in 2019, and added that revenues fluctuate from year to year.
Staff at the Riviera did not receive additional compensation, and Borchert said he questions if his superiors ever forwarded his request and concerns to the city.
Borchert, a sophomore at UW-La Crosse who started his third season at the beach, described Memorial Day weekend as “crazy.” He said he realized if his virus concerns could go unheeded little chance existed that other concerns would be addressed. He now works for Amazon.
Pictures of a packed Riviera Beach over Memorial Day weekend went viral, and Lake Geneva is making national news for being open for business during the pandemic. Tourists, many from Illinois, are flocking to Lake Geneva in spite of the continuing pandemic.
“Lake Geneva is a city of around 8,000,” Nord said. “On a holiday weekend the city is receiving 30,000 or more visitors on a daily basis.”
Nord said with good weather, and individuals in other states subjected to Shelter at Home orders, Lake Geneva will continue to see a large number of visitors.
“The question became how to best deal with the increasing number of people,” Nord said. “Closing the beach, and the city’s numerous parks, would only serve to force more people into even closer quarters.”
