Rye Town Park Unveils Accessibility Improvements At Restored Beach

RYE, NY — If you've been lucky enough to enjoy one of the Sound Shore's best beaches this summer, then you might have noticed a few changes for the better.

The Rye Town Park Commission just announced the completion of two major projects at Rye Town Park: the FEMA-funded Beach Replenishment Project and the installation of ADA-compliant beach mats and the deployment of two beach wheelchairs to improve accessibility for people with disabilities.

FEMA-Funded Beach Replenishment

After Tropical Storm Ida in September of 2021, Oakland Beach was left with significant damage and a loss of shoreline. A topographical survey found that erosion resulted in the loss of 1,432 cubic yards of sand. In collaboration with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Park Commission received $260,000 to mitigate the damage and restore the beach. This included the purchase of sand and re-leveling of the beach. After a short work period from late May to early June, the restoration project was started and has now concluded for the 2023 season.

Beach Accessibility

The Town of Rye was awarded a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the Westchester Urban County Consortium which was used to purchase ADA-compliant ACCESSMATS to link the recently installed (2021) ADA-compliant beach ramps across the sand down to the water. The installation of these mats, along with the existing ramps, greatly increase access to the park’s facilities for individuals of varying physical abilities.

"Oakland Beach is one of the Town’s prized resources, and equal access to this space is of the utmost importance to the Town of Rye and to its constituent communities which comprise the Park Commission," Town of Rye Supervisor Gary Zuckerman said. "The installation of a safe, accessible pathway that provides wheelchair users with uninhibited access to all available portions of the beach assists the Town in meeting our goal of supporting the health, safety, and ease of accessibility for all beach patrons."

The project aimed to improve existing conditions for seniors and adults with disabilities who visit Oakland Beach.

In addition to the installation of the ACCESSMATS, Rye Town Park now offers two sand-compatible wheelchairs allowing for smooth transportation throughout the beach that may not be possible with a regular wheelchair, which can become stuck in the sand. The wheelchairs are free to reserve and use with the price of beach admission.

"I was very impressed by the willingness of Rye Town Park to go the distance in providing beach access for persons with disabilities," Michael Hellmann, a local ADA specialist and advocate for the disabled community, said. "Not only did they construct two state-of-the-art wheelchair ramps, but added mats across the sand that extend all the way down to the high tide mark allowing folks a much better disability experience."

For more information and to make a wheelchair reservation, please contact Rye Town Park at this email address.