The city of Evanston plans to hire an outside firm to investigate concerns about the work environment at the city’s lakefront and sexual misconduct allegations involving lakefront staff, according to a statement from the city.

       The move comes after a WBEZ report last week detailing a petition signed by more than 50 female lifeguards and beach employees last year alleging sexual harassment and abuse by co-workers and managers. Evanston City Council called an emergency meeting July 17, and on July 19 the city posted a statement about the planned independent investigation.

       “These four employees exhibited remarkable courage and selflessness in coming forward. Our whole community will be safer because of their actions,” the statement reads. “The City owes them, and the many others who shared concerns through a petition circulated among lakefront staff, a profound debt of gratitude.”

       The city’s statement says parks and recreation and human resources employees met with the lakefront employees in July 2020 and were “presented with a petition containing a number of anonymous allegations of sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, sexism, racism and discrimination by lakefront staff.”

       According to the city, staff members encouraged the employees to provide specific accounts of the misconduct and to contact Evanston police “regarding serious allegations of sexual assault and statutory rape,” according to the statement.

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       The city’s statement also detailed other steps that were taken, including follow-up meetings with the employees who raised the concerns and the implementation of sexual harassment training. One male employee was not rehired for the 2021 season, according to the city.

       Additional details about the allegations and the reported incidents were not immediately available.

       “The City is confident that these measures have improved the work environment on the lakefront. That said, the City is also aware that this is only the beginning,” according to the statement. “It takes ongoing, sustained work to transform a culture, and every resident, every beach patron, and, especially, every lakefront employee is entitled to full transparency regarding all City actions and processes to date and plans and systems established to ensure safety in the future.”

       The statement said updates will be provided to the public.

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