Capacity
Limited to 50%, Face Mask Required for Entry, Remaining Beaches Opening
by June 6, Town Plans to Limit Access to Residents Only All Season
Huntington
– Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci announced on Wednesday, May 20, that the
Town of Huntington summer season beach opening will
kick off on Saturday, May 23, 2020, Memorial Day Weekend, at four
beaches with reduced capacity, limited access to amenities, face masks
will be required for entry, and vehicle access to beach parking lots
will be limited to residents only, for whom access
will be free upon providing a drivers license as proof of residence;
remaining Town beaches will open on subsequent weekends and Beach
Parking Permits will be sold starting May 30; beach access will be
limited to residents only by Town Board resolution at
the May 20 Town Board meeting.
“We
will be opening our beaches on a staggered schedule, starting with the
four largest Town of Huntington beaches on Memorial Day weekend,
with limits on capacity and the expectation that visitors will respect
social distancing protocols, vehicle access will be free during the
holiday weekend and limited to Town residents only,” said Supervisor
Chad A. Lupinacci. “Beach Parking Permit access
will begin on Saturday, May 30th, as the number of open beaches expands
but access will continue to be limited to residents only for the
remainder of the 2020 season.”
2020 TOWN OF HUNTINGTON
SAFE AND STRATEGIC BEACH OPENING SCHEDULE
The Town will stagger the opening of the following beaches, with capacity reduced to 50%:
OPENING SATURDAY, MAY 23 – MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND:
Four
beaches will open Memorial Day Weekend at 50% capacity. Vehicle access
to beach parking lots will be limited to residents only,
for whom access will be free upon providing a drivers license as proof
of residence Memorial Day Weekend.
Beach Parking Permits will not be available for sale Memorial Day Weekend.
- Centerport Beach, Little Neck Road, Centerport
- Crab Meadow Beach, Waterside Avenue, Northport
- Hobart Beach, Birmingham Drive, Eaton's Neck
- Quentin Sammis West Neck Beach, West Neck Road, Lloyd Harbor
OPENING SATURDAY, MAY 30:
Beach
Parking Permits will be available for sale starting Saturday, May 30 at
Centerport Beach, Crab Meadow Beach, Hobart Beach, Quentin
Sammis West Neck Beach and the following beaches, which are officially
opening on May 30:
- Fleets Cove Beach, Fleets Cove Road, Centerport
- Gold Star Battalion Beach, West Shore Road, Huntington
Vehicle
access to beach parking lots will be limited to residents only for the
entire 2020 season by Town Board resolution at the
May 20 Town Board meeting.
OPENING SATURDAY, JUNE 6:
The following beaches will officially open on Saturday, June 6, where Beach Parking Permits will also be available for sale:
- Asharoken Beach,
Eaton's Neck Road, Northport
- Crescent Beach, Crescent Beach Drive, Huntington Bay
Already
open (for fishing only) is Geissler’s Beach, Makamah Road, Northport.
The Sgt. Paul Tuozzolo Memorial Spray Park, located at
Elwood Park, Cuba Hill Road, Huntington, Dix Hills Park Swimming Pool and Dix Hills Ice Rink, located at Dix Hills Park, 575 Vanderbilt Parkway, Dix Hills, will remain closed until
further guidance is received by New York State.
BEACH PARKING
Beach
parking lots will be limited to 50% capacity. Visitors must park
vehicles following the spacing guidelines of the newly marked
parking spots; once parking lots are full, parking illegally outside
the beach parking lot will continue to be prohibited and parking
enforcement will ticket violations. Beach parking lot spaces available
closest to the beach will be saved for seniors and
those with disability parking permits. The Department of Public Safety will be enforcing social distancing and parking rules in and outside of the beach parking lots.
SOCIAL DISTANCING, FACE MASKS, AND PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES
Beach
visitors will be required to have a mask or face covering to gain entry
to a Town beach. Accordingly, visitors should be wearing
a mask or face covering when waiting for admission to the beach.
Each
beach will have a capacity plan to ensure adequate space is available
for visitors within household groups to maintain a minimum
of 6 feet of distance from other groups. Beach visitors will be
required to maintain social distance of a minimum of six feet between
themselves and anyone not within their household.
Beach visitors will be required to wear a face mask or other face
covering when in any public areas, including boardwalks, restrooms,
concession areas, walkways and any other public area other than on their
blanket, beach chair or in the water. Signage
will be posted explaining specific required public behaviors.
During
the summer of 2020, the Town is prohibiting the following beach
activities and use of amenities; facilities will be secured
to the extent possible:
- Barbecues
- Basketball courts
- Bird
nesting preserve at Hobart Beach; the Departments of Public Safety
and/or Maritime Services will be issuing trespassing violations for
those who enter the gated area located behind fencing
- Group activities
- Picnic tables
- Playgrounds
- Senior Beach use by non-senior citizens at Centerport Beach (lifeguard will be on duty to ensure compliance)
- Sunscreen dispensers (Memorial Day Weekend only; new, automatic battery-powered no-touch sunscreen dispensers will be installed at a later date)
- Volleyball
- Water fountains
Lifeguards
will be monitoring social distancing on the beach and in common areas
with the Departments of Public Safety and/or Maritime
Services providing support in enforcement.
Additional
measures the Town is taking to protect the public and Town employees,
in adherence to Suffolk County Department of Health
Services guidelines:
- All staff fully educated on symptoms of COVID-19 and advised to stay home if they develop any of the symptoms.
- Monitoring
the health of all summer seasonal employees, which includes daily
employee temperature screening overseen by Certified EMTs; any worker
with a temperature of 100.4 or higher will be required to go
home, in this event, floaters will supplement staffing.
- Lifeguard training related to executing saves wearing water-compatible masks from certifying bodies.
- Bathroom
cleanings every two hours at each beach by staff wearing the required
personal protective equipment, with special attention given to
high-touch areas, such as doorknobs, countertops, handles, and sinks.
- Battery-powered, no-touch automatic sunscreen dispensers replacing existing manual sunscreen dispensers
(not as of Memorial Day Weekend)
- Disability Accessibility: Designated parking available nearest to the beach, and extra thorough cleaning and disinfecting of beach wheelchairs: A floating wheelchair is available for use at Crab Meadow Beach (and other Town beaches with one or two days’ notice). The chair not only travels on sand, but also serves as a safe flotation device. To use the chair, all you have to do is ask at the beach office. There are also three (3) sand wheelchairs for use on the sand only. Call the Main Beach Office at (631) 261-7574 or call Parks and Recreation at (631) 351-3089.
BEACH PARKING PERMIT AVAILABILITY AND INFORMATION
Beach Parking Permits will not be available for sale on Memorial Day Weekend;
vehicle
access to beach parking lots will be free, and only for residents
providing a drivers license as proof of residency, through Friday, May
29, until the sale of permits begins on Saturday, May
30.
Permits
will be available for sale to residents only, staggered with the beach
openings, starting on Saturday, May 30, as outlined in
the following schedule:
Saturday, May 30:
- Seasonal and Daily Beach Parking Permits available for sale to residents only
at Centerport Beach, Crab Meadow Beach, Fleets Cove Beach, Gold Star
Battalion Beach, Hobart Beach, and Quentin Sammis West Neck Beach;
vehicle registration and driver’s license required, permit must be
affixed by the attendant to the vehicle.
- Free Senior Citizen Seasonal Beach Permits
will available to senior residents, 60 years of age or older, at
Centerport Beach, Crab Meadow Beach,
and Quentin Sammis West Neck Beach only; vehicle registration and
driver's license required, permit must be affixed by the attendant to
the vehicle.
Monday, June 1:
- Free Firefighter/EMS/Rescue Seasonal Beach Permits will begin to be delivered by mail
to resident volunteer firefighters and resident rescue squad personnel only; vehicle registration and driver's license required.
Please contact your district's Fire Chief or Ambulance Chief, who are working with the Town's Fire Marshal to coordinate permit delivery.
Saturday, June 6:
- Seasonal and Daily Beach Parking Permits available for sale to residents only at Asharoken Beach and Crescent Beach; vehicle registration and driver’s
license required, permit must be affixed by the attendant to the vehicle.