LI Officials Release Beach, Park Plan For 'Summer Like No Other'

LONG ISLAND, NY — Long Island town supervisors have come together to discuss a reopening plan for beaches and parks this summer — and for the first time, their recommendations were released Monday. The proposed policies include mandating face coverings, limiting crowd sizes and restricting swimming and group activities.

The Suffolk County Supervisors Association joined together with supervisors from Hempstead, North Hempstead and Oyster Bay to formulate the plan.

The Nassau/Suffolk Towns’ Summer Operations Task Force guidelines are a "bi-county effort to safely offer residents the core summer services that make Long Island the best place in the country to spend summer," according to the newly released plan.

The established policies were agreed upon by the Nassau and Suffolk town officials on Monday; those guidelines are subject to state approval and should there be any conflict with current or future state guidance, the "stricter" state guidance will take precedence, officials said.

All 13 Long Island town supervisors met May 1 via videoconference to discuss the potential reopening plan for local parks and beaches this summer amid the coronavirus crisis. East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Von Scoyoc said all would agree that it would be a "summer like no other."

Most state parks and other outdoor recreations have stayed open since Gov. Andrew Cuomo put the brakes on the economy, shuttering schools and businesses to battle coronavirus, with residents required to maintain social distancing guidelines by keeping 6 feet apart and wearing masks or face coverings in situations where keeping a distance is not possible.

And, with state and county beaches opening across Long Island Friday in time for Memorial Day weekend, the goal was to provide a coordinated approached to beaches. Although New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said beaches would be closed for Memorial Day weekend, both Nassau County and Suffolk County beaches will be open but for residents only.

All of the supervisors have expressed that "there will be a summer on Long Island," but emphasized that it would be different. Babylon Supervisor Rich Schaffer said that the supervisors planned to coordinate in order to open safely.

At the meeting, Schaffer said that by May 18 the supervisors would have general guidelines to send to Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, and Gov. Cuomo for approval.

The guidelines touched on a number of issues.

As for public health messaging, it was agreed that consistent social distancing guidelines across all communities would be vital to ensuring broad compliance from the public.

In addition, the supervisors said every town will establish a proactive public outreach plan, beyond their normal summer guidance, to ensure residents are aware of the many changes and restrictions in place for the coming summer. The plan could include social media, paid advertisements, mailings, and radio broadcasts. In addition, each town will, as feasible, ensure that town parks' staff are prepared to respond to questions and concerns regarding new policies.

Across the board, all towns will coordinate as it pertains to face coverings and social distancing policies.

"Simple, straightforward policies, that are consistent across towns, will ensure that all residents are fully aware of expectations regarding behavior at all facilities at all times. The towns' task force will communicate at least bi-weekly throughout the summer season to accommodate any changes needed to the policies," the plan said.

On the issue of enforcement, the supervisors decided that all towns would remain in sync throughout the summer season. An "established escalation process" will be in place for visitors that do not comply with public health policies. The towns' task force will establish clear lines of communication between parks enforcement personnel, and either county police or a local law enforcement agency.

Signage is also key, the supervisors agreed, stating that the task force would communicate regularly with the New York State parks department and Suffolk and Nassau County parks departments to ensure consistent messaging on all signage. "All signage will follow the agreed upon guidelines of including large text, visual cues, and simple directives," the guidelines said.

With an eye toward ensuring that a surge of crowds does not head to one location due to closures at another, opening and possible closing times will be coordinated at beach and park facilities, the guidelines said.

While not all towns will have beaches open by Memorial Day, all towns "are on track to open most, if not all, of their beach facilities by the week before the July 4 holiday, the guidelines said.

In addition, all Long Island marinas will be open by June 1, the supervisor said.

"As guidance is issued by New York State, and decisions are made regarding the safety of pools, spray parks, playgrounds, and summer programs, the towns' task force will, as feasible, coordinate possible opening dates," the supervisors said.

However, if there is a marked increase in infection rates, or broad issues with public
guidelines at beaches and parks at some point in the summer season, the task force will coordinate the possible closure of facilities and activities to ensure consistent public safety across all municipalities.

The following is a list of beach, park, and playground policies, as suggested by the task force:

Face masks must be worn at beaches

- when visitors arrive at the facility

- when moving through parking lots and public areas

- when walking down to the beachfront or up from the beachfront

- when in the concession or restroom area

- any other public area other than the below

Visitors may remove their masks

- when in the water

- when stationary on a towel, blanket, chair etc., with their household group

Residents must bring a face covering or mask with them. Some facilities may have a small supply on site if needed, but entry is not guaranteed for any residents that arrive without their face covering or mask, the guidelines state.

Capacity limitations

All beaches will have a capacity plan developed that reflect that facility’s unique parking lot capacity, beachfront capacity, and restroom and concession set-up, the supervisors said.

In order to adhere to New York State's guidelines of 50 percent beach capacity, towns may restrict or expand their parking lot access, depending on the safe capacity of the beachfront.

Residents should check with their local officials and parks department for up-to-date information regarding capacity and restrictions on each facility.

All beaches will allow blankets, towels, chairs and coolers, as per the normal rules of each municipality.

COVID-19 summer safety directors and monitors

At each facility where warranted, one staff person will be designated to monitor adherence to social distancing and public health policies. That person, in consultation with
management, will have the authority to adjust capacity and enforcement procedures as needed, to reflect up-to-the moment conditions at that facility, the plan states.

As feasible given established staffing, all towns will develop a stand-alone program to hire, or designate from current staff, additional personnel who will be trained specifically to communicate
and enforce new guidelines and public health policies. That staff will be educated in COVID-19 symptoms, effective communication strategies, and de-escalation methods, according to the new plan.

Swimming restrictions

Depending on the beach and water conditions, residents will be asked to restrict swimming to 20 to 30 feet from the shoreline, or at most 10 feet past the “wave break.” That, supervisors said, will lower the rate of “saves” required by lifeguards and protect their health. Lifeguards on site will be empowered to make daily decisions regarding enforcement of this recommendation.

Pools and spray parks

Due to health and sanitation concerns, no town will open any pool facility or spray parks until guidance is issued from New York State, the plan said.

Parks

All parks and fields will be open for passive use only. No group sport activities will be allowed until further notice.

In addition, there will be no congregating of any kind, unless visitors are seated or stationary with strict social distancing adherence. Masks should be worn at all times when moving through parks, unless there are no other visitors within sight, the plan said.

Playgrounds

All playgrounds will remain closed until further notice.

Marinas

All marinas will be open by June 1. All marinas will require social distancing at all times while on-site. There will be no congregating on docks, in parking lots, or boat ramps. There will be no “rafting,” or tying together of boats between different groups for socializing purposes, the plan said.

Summer programs

"Due to health and sanitation concerns, no town will operate summer programs or day camps until guidance is issued from New York State," the plan said.

While all towns are committed to adhering to the joint policies wherever feasible, each municipality reserves the right to modify any of the decided-upon measures in order to ensure the safety of residents and staff.