WOONSOCKET — The drowning of a 47-year-old man at the pond at World War II Memorial Park on Saturday has sparked a war of words between the mayor and the head of the state Department of Environmental Management.

Sidney Jones, of Providence, drowned as he was swimming to a concrete diving platform in the middle of the pond known as Social Ocean. It was the second swimming tragedy at the pond in nine days and DEM Director W. Michael Sullivan is considering whether to drain the pond to avoid any future accidents. There have been no lifeguards at the park all summer due to budget cutbacks — a point that Mayor Susan Menard calls “discriminatory” against the city’s residents.

An angry Menard questioned why, with so many swimming facilities in the state, “they can’t find one lifeguard for me? How hard are they trying? [Sullivan] has the ability to order a lifeguard to Woonsocket.”

About a week ago, the city, the DEM and representatives from the speaker of the House’s office had agreed to get lifeguards and provide a police presence at the park after Brett Roy, 29, of Woonsocket, suffered severe neck and head injuries after diving head-first into shallow water at the pond July 10.

Sullivan said his agency had placed between one and three DEM workers at the park each day to help maintain it but has not been able to find lifeguards to work in Woonsocket, even with the $20-an-hour pay offered by the speaker’s office. Sullivan and Woonsocket Mayor Susan Menard spoke yesterday about what to do, but the talks did not go well.

Menard said the DEM is responsible for the park, but has no intention of getting lifeguards and is looking to close it. Sullivan said he’s made it clear that it’s getting exceeding difficult to finance the park. He has offered the city the park for $1. Menard said the city can’t afford the $150,000 to $200,000 it costs to run the park.

In a scathing news release yesterday, Menard said the DEM had failed to keep its promise to provide lifeguards. “Both DEM Director Sullivan and the governor’s office have made it clear that the 43,000 residents of Woonsocket are of less importance than the residents of other communities in the state,” she wrote. “The actions of the state are irresponsible and discriminatory to the residents of this city. The governor and the director are boldly attempting to force their financial problems onto individuals who can ill afford the burden.”

Sullivan was outraged by Menard’s comments. “We told her we were going to be challenged to put the park on line. I’m offended that she says our decisions are based on discrimination. My record is clear on our attempts to broaden the experience and opportunities for all citizens.

“I’ll make the decision tomorrow. If it were today, my emotional response would be to pull the plug. It takes 24 hours to drain the pond and three days to fill it.”

Yesterday, the DEM posted the lifeguard position on its Web site. Sullivan said he is aware of the hot days ahead and the need for people to have a place to get relief.

Sullivan said the city’s annual Autumnfest celebration can take place at the park in October. “They can use the park, but there may not be water in the park for their party. If the mayor continues to allege, as she has, we will have to reconsider all positions.”

Yesterday, by noon there were a few people at the park but no one entered the water. There were new signs posted on the beach in English and Spanish along with the existing ones that warned that there is no swimming and no lifeguards. Yellow tape was draped from one end of the beach front to the other.

Woonsocket officers had been posted at the park for 2½ days after the accident to keep people out of the water, but yesterday Menard ordered them out of the park.

Eugene Dufault, 83, of Woonsocket, who walks with his sister Rita Almeida, 86, of Lincoln, to the park every day, said the DEM should not have filled the pond. “They never should have opened it without lifeguards,” he said.

tpina@projo.com