Town Of Huntington Beaches Opening To Residents Only: Info

TOWN OF HUNTINGTON, NY — Summer beach season is upon the Town of Huntington, but due to the coronavirus, it will look different from previous years.

Following a staggered schedule, four beaches will open on Saturday for Memorial Day weekend, with others to follow at a later date, Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci announced Wednesday. However, only Town residents will be allowed on the beaches, which will be open at 50 percent capacity. Beachgoers will need to have a face mask to gain entry. Vehicle access to beach parking lots will be limited to residents only, for whom access will be free upon providing a driver's license as proof of residence. Beach parking permits will be sold starting May 30.

The following beaches are scheduled to open Saturday:

• Centerport Beach, Little Neck Road, Centerport
• Crab Meadow Beach, Waterside Avenue, Northport
• Hobart Beach, Eaton's Neck Road, Eaton's Neck
• Quentin Sammis West Neck Beach, West Neck Road, Lloyd Harbor

"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," Lupinacci said via release. "Beach Parking Permit access will begin on Saturday, May 30, as the number of open beaches expands but access will continue to be limited to residents only for the remainder of the 2020 season."

Beach Parking Permits will be available for sale starting 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

These two beaches are slated to open June 6:

• Asharoken Beach, Eaton's Neck Road, Northport
• Crescent Beach, Crescent Beach Drive, Huntington Bay

Already open for fishing only is Geissler’s Beach at Makamah Road, Northport. The Sgt. Paul Tuozzolo Memorial Spray Park, located at Elwood Park on Cuba Hill Road, Huntington, will remain closed until further guidance is received by New York State, officials said.

Visitors must park 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, officials said. 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.

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 6 feet between themselves and anyone not within their household, and they'll also need to wear a face mask or other 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. Signs explaining the requirements will be posted.

During the summer 2020, the Town is banning 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 helping them with enforcement.

Additional measures the Town is taking to protect the public and Town employees, following Suffolk County Department of Health Services guidelines, are:

• 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).