No Southold Town Beach Lifeguards This Season Due To Winter Storm Damage

SOUTHOLD, NY — After a brutal winter that left the parking lot in ruins, Southold's Town Beach will not be open for the season, Supervisor Al Krupski said this week.

The town board discussed the issue at its work session Tuesday, when Southold Town Recreation Supervisor Janet Douglass came before the board to discuss a potential summer staffing plan but warned against current safety conditions at the beach, town officials said.

The board agreed that there would be no bathing at the beach this summer and no lifeguards or attendants. However, the beach will remain open, with signage to direct residents toward access to the east, near the swing set, Krupski told Patch.

Krupski said plans were in place for town officials to meet with Suffolk County representatives, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and town trustees.

"We're trying to figure out next steps," Krupski said, adding that the focus is on cleanup and safety.

County Road 48, which runs adjacent to Town Beach, is "very low" at that location, Krupski said.

Krupski, a former Suffolk County legislator, said that plans are outlined in the county's coastal resiliency plan to raise the road by the beach.

"If they're going to do a project there, we want it to be a coordinated effort," he said. "We're going to put all of our heads together to see what the best path forward is, both short term and long term."

Residents hoping to walk on the beach this season and utilize the parking lot will still need a town parking sticker, Krupski said.

Signs will be put up in the coming days to direct people toward beach access on the east side of the property, he said.

"They can walk down to the beach safely there," Krupski said. "We don't want people climbing down onto the beach — or driving over the edge."

As it stands, there is about a 6-foot drop from the parking lot down onto the beach, Krupski said.

Officials plan to meet at the beach next week to weigh options, he said.

Although the winter was hard, Krupski said problems with the town beach parking lot date back to Sandy. "After Sandy, the water came up to the parking lot," he said, adding that sea level rise was also a factor. "And it's just gotten progressively worse."