Federal hiring freeze leads to closures at beloved Central Mass. park

Yahoo

21-05-2025

As a child, Amanda Angers of Worcester would often spend her summers swimming at Buffumville Lake Park in Charlton.
She and her cousins would head out to the park early in the morning, racing each other to find their favorite spot close to the water. Angers and her family would spend entire summer days at Buffumville, playing with their sand toys and enjoying games of Marco Polo in the lake.
'It was a day we all looked forward to,' Angers told MassLive.
This summer, however, Angers's childhood swimming spot will have reduced hours and won't be open on all days of the week.
The park was unable to hire seasonal staff for the summer due to a federal hiring freeze implemented by the Trump administration, according to a May 5 Facebook announcement from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of Buffumville Lake.
As a result of this shortage, Buffumville Park will be open Friday to Tuesday and will be closed Wednesday and Thursday, the announcement reads. The hours of operation will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., but are subject to change.
Implemented in January 2025, the freeze prohibits the filling of vacant federal civilian positions or the creation of new ones. In April, the Trump administration extended the freeze through July 15.
Park visitors should also expect delays or reductions in maintenance and sanitation services for restrooms and a reduction of outreach and interpretative programs, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.
Additionally, America the Beautiful passes, which cover entrance and standard amenities fees for federal recreational sites, will only be available by appointment on Mondays or Fridays, the post reads.
'The disc golf course, boat ramp, trail system and dam site will remain open during daylight hours for activities such as boating, fishing, hiking, dog walking, wildlife viewing, mountain biking, etc,' the Army Corps of Engineers wrote.
Each year, the Army Corps hires three summer rangers for Buffumville Park who assist the rangers who are there all year round, according to Nicole Giles, the program manager for the park.
The three rangers are tasked with jobs such as maintenance of the park and Buffumville Dam, trail work, vegetation and habitat management, working weekend patrol shifts, ensuring visitors are engaged in safe activities, water safety outreach and responding to emergencies, Giles said.
This year, however, the corps was not able to fill its three positions, resulting in a shortage.
'We have made every attempt to reduce the impacts on the public but we are not able to maintain the same level of service our visitors have known in the past with less staffing,' Giles said. 'There are simply too many shifts to cover, and we must balance our current obligations.'
The shortage also means it is unlikely that the rangers will be able to remove invasive species, said Giles. Some of these species include variable milfoil, fanwort, and Eurasian milfoil, according to the Army Corps's website.
The impacts to the environment will not be immediate, Giles said.
'The hiring freeze certainly makes it difficult to plan and execute our goals,' she said. 'We will attempt to give as much attention to the recreation and environmental areas as possible.'
Marc Tonya Anthony, a resident of Oxford, said that he goes to the lake and dam frequently. He sometimes does yoga at the park or walks his dog. Anthony says he feels sorry for the people who would enjoy days at the park, saying it's hard to find cheap things to do in the summer.
'I see a lot of families with young children go there for the day in the summer,' Anthony told MassLive. 'That's who will be affected the most.'
Angers, who spent her days at the park as a child, is incredibly disappointed at the federal government.
'They are not representing the people and the best interest of the people,' she said. 'They are allowing cuts that impact your average citizen in a negative way and definitely have a much further impact on low income families and individuals nationwide.'
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Read the original article on MassLive.