March 29, 2024

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East Hampton Supervisor To Help Develop Summer Beach Strategy

EAST HAMPTON, NY — With summer coming soon and the number of new coronavirus cases continuing to rise, East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc will participate in a countywide working group convened by Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone to develop regional guidelines for the safe, potential operation of beaches and related facilities this summer.

The group of town supervisors, village mayors, and county and state officials will develop recommendations with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Long Islanders seeking outdoor recreation have been flocking to parks and beaches, at times in numbers making it difficult or impossible to maintain safe social distancing, the supervisor said.

Municipal officials have agreed that, as precautions continue to be needed to suppress coronavirus, a regional approach to the question of reopening recreational areas, and consistency in regulations and limits, would be most effective to protect public health and prevent overuse of particular sites, Van Scoyoc said.

The working group convened for the first time yesterday.

“Beach closings or other limits may be necessary”

“With over 70 miles of coastline, and as a traditional destination for visitors who enjoy our beaches and open space, East Hampton has a particular challenge ahead. One thing is sure: This summer will be different than others as we must remain vigilant against the coronavirus. Beach closures or other limits may be necessary,” Van Scoyoc said.

The supervisor added that he appreciated Bellone’s decision to provide an opportunity to work with other Suffolk County officials to develop a “clear and consistent” plan to guide public policy across the region, and for East Hampton to have a voice on the committee.

With Gov. Andrew Cuomo announcing the formation of a regional task force to “reimagine” New York as it reopens, with a focus on beaches, schools, public facilities and transportation, Bellone said this week that the goal is to learn how to reopen and kick-start the economy while still protecting public health.

While the governor is commencing the regional approach by coordinating with officials across the tri-state area, Bellone said countywide, he has daily calls with town supervisors and village mayors, school superintendents and supermarkets, as well as members of the business community.

“Coordination at the local level is important,” he said.

On Monday, Bellone announced the formation of a Summer Planning Work Group that will be headed up by Deputy Suffolk County Executive Peter Scully, who oversees parks. The group will include public officials from across the county who will develop guidelines and recommendations in regard to the reopening of municipal facilities; Bellone said he will take that information and share it with the downstate regional task force.

But, he said, as summer approaches and there is a strong desire to get back to normalcy, there will be a “new normal,” a different kind of environment with different rules, such as the wearing of face coverings in public.

It’s important to continue to follow guidance, Bellone said.

“As we move further and further from this crisis, from the terrible news on TV and in the papers, it’s going to get harder and harder for some to continue to follow strict guidelines as a way to reduce the transmission of virus. But it’s absolutely important that we do this the right way,” Bellone said. “That’s why coordination is important.”

And already on the East End, challenges have been seen: With crowds headed to Montauk despite a stay-at-home mandate to help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, New York State Police have been deployed to Montauk’s state parks to enforce social distancing protocols — and close the parks when they reach capacity, officials said.

After expressing concern about the numbers of visitors to state parks in East Hampton Town and urging state officials act to ensure adherence to social distancing, Van Scoyoc said he was notified additional state police and park officers will be deployed to monitor the parks in Montauk.

The officers have begun enforcing social distancing, limiting visitors, and closing the parks when they reach capacity, according to Theresa Santoro, Cuomo’s Suffolk County regional representative. The enforcement officers will be working extended hours to address the increased crowds in Montauk, Santoro said.

“I applaud Governor Cuomo and his staff for their leadership and responsiveness to my request and our residents’ concerns,” Van Scoyoc said. “As spring weather continues drawing people outdoors to use park lands and beaches, town officials will be implementing additional measures, as needed, to reduce risk and ensure compliance with social distancing and other mandates.”

Beaches and summer rentals? ‘Stay tuned’

With summer coming and with Cuomo extending the stay-at-home order through May 15, Bellone spoke last week about when beaches could possibly reopen; he was also asked about whether he thought they would open in six weeks — and about summer rentals.

“We’ll see,” he said. “That’s six weeks away. We are five weeks into the thick of this crisis and anyone who says they know where we will be in six weeks hasn’t paid attention to what is happening with this virus. It appears we are plateauing and hopefully we will see the trajectory going down. I don’t know if that’s the case. We’ll see this week.”

When asked if people planning for summer rentals should “do it or don’t do it,” Bellone said: “The message is, ‘Stay tuned.'”

When asked by a reporter on a media call about the East End, which “gets crowded” during the summer months, and what kind of contingency plan might be developed to deal with the situation in the coming weeks, Bellone said it depends upon where the numbers stand.

The East End, he said, already has at present closer to “what looks like a summer environment, with the number of people out there at this time because of what’s happening. People are out there early. It’s had an impact on the food supply chain and on grocery stores. We need a little more time to see where we are with these things. We need hard data before we make any determinations.”

Bellone was then asked if the East End might need more hospital beds because of the possible surge of visitors in coming weeks to the area. He said as long as people stay the course and continue with mitigation measures such as social distancing, the bed capacity should suffice.

“As we approach the May 15 date, if we do those things, I suspect we will continue to have positive news on the numbers,” he said.

To stem the tide of people flocking to the East End, Southampton Town is currently cracking down on short-term rentals: Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman announced in recent weeks that ordinance enforcement division would put the brakes on short-term rentals during the month of April.

This article originally appeared on the East Hampton Patch

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