Griswold Defends Decision to Close Old Lyme Town Beaches

OLD LYME — “We don’t envision this as a long-term requirement,” stressed Old Lyme First Selectman Timothy Griswold in a phone conversation with LymeLine on Friday. He was referring to the Old Lyme Board of Selectmen’s decision to close all of the Old Lyme Town Beaches from yesterday and henceforward for am unspecified period of time. These beaches include Sound View, White Sand, and Hains Park.

Griswold explained the decision was taken in the middle of the week when he held a “roundtable” comprising representatives from Old Lyme Emergency Services and the Beach Associations. He noted that the matter had been discussed at the previous board of selectmen’s meeting but no vote was taken by the board at that time. Griswold added that Gary Fox, Miami Beach Association President, was involved in the discussion and “agreed it was wise to take this step.”

The consensus of the roundtable was that with “the first sunny weekend” anticipated May 2 and 3, the Town should “take a pre-emptive strike” to close Sound View primarily because it is a “destination” beach attracting many out-of-towners as well as local residents, causing it to become overcrowded.  Also, with the hot weather anticipated, Griswold said there is a likelihood that both Rocky Neck and Hammonasset State Park beaches may end up closed due to the number of visitors they receive. This frequently leads to visitors, who cannot access those parks after they have closed, “looking for somewhere else,” and coming to Sound View Beach instead.

Griswold explained the plan was to close off Swan and Portland Avenues and use them for exit only and keep Hartford Ave. open as the access road to the beach.  Saying “the town parking lot will be shut and metered parking coned off,” Griswold emphasized that the restaurants on Hartford Ave. could remain open for take-out, “provided, per the Governor’s order, customers do not consume the food on the premises.” A limited number of parking spaces for 30-minute periods will be left open for customers wishing to use the take-out option.

Police planned to place lighted message at key points on Rte. 156 and the I-95 exit ramps to advise people that the beaches were closed in advance of them arriving at the beaches.

Justifying why the Town had to close White Sand Beach and Hains Park as well as Sound View, Griswold said, “If we close one beach, we couldn’t in good faith not close the others,” though he conceded, “[Old Lyme] residents would probably do a better job [of social distancing.]  He added, “There is obviously a diverse opinion about this,” noting the closures would not be necessary, “If it were not for the nature of Sound View, which is such a mecca.”

Stressing the decision to close the beaches was not a permanent one, Griswold said, “We’ll see how it goes.”