LEYDEN — Camp Lion Knoll has at least temporarily closed its swimming area after a 5-year-old boy nearly drowned Monday.
Steven Rickman, executive director at The Girls Club of Greenfield, which offers the camp, said he recommended shutting down the pool while staff discusses potential next steps. Rickman has taken over for outgoing director Nadine Benzaia, who retired this week in what Rickman called a coincidence with no connection to Monday’s incident.
In fact, last week the Greenfield Recorder received a press release from The Girls Club of Greenfield detailing how there would be a change in leadership effective July 1.
According to the press release, Benzaia served as executive director for nearly 20 years. The club’s board of directors selected Rickman as a replacement.
Rickman taught at an elementary school in Amherst and served as an administrative intern. He is working on his dissertation for a doctorate in education, which he expects to complete next spring. He hails from Pennsylvania and has taught in North Carolina.
Rickman had no update on the condition of the boy who nearly drowned Monday.
The child, who has not been identified, was pulled from the pool shortly before 3 p.m. Monday by Tina Riddell, a Leyden police sergeant working as a lifeguard at the camp, who immediately began administering CPR, according to Leyden Police Chief Dan Galvis. He said the child became responsive and his vitals improved on the way by ambulance to Baystate Franklin Medical Center, where his parents met him. The boy was then airlifted to another hospital.
Benzaia previously said that campers and staff members had a meeting Tuesday morning to share their feelings and talk about what happened. She said there was a wide range of emotions and questions from campers.
According to The Girls Club of Greenfield’s website, the camp was established in 1958 and consists of 40 acres of open fields and pine forests. It includes a swimming area, a dining hall with an attached kitchen, a craft room pavilion, nature cabin and a bathhouse. The camp caters to children 4½ to 12 years old.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.