OLD LYME — UPDATED MAY 29: We received this update a short time ago from Old Lyme First Selectman Timothy Griswold on how things went at the beaches this week. He said in a text, “Memorial Day weekend went very well at the beaches. Sunday had the best weather and, surprisingly, Sound View beaches all had some capacity available.”
He added, “However, Sound View was full earlier this week.”
Beach-goers found heightened security this past Memorial Day weekend as the Old Lyme Rangers geared up to maintain social distancing rules at Sound View Beach.
Although the weather was mostly overcast, the Old Lyme Rangers still kept a close eye on beach-goers during the weekend.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Old Lyme First Selectman in consultation with Town staff, Old Lyme Emergency Services and Miami Beach Association closed Old Lyme Town Beaches from May 2. The same group decided to reopen the beaches May 23 but at reduced capacity and with new social distancing rules in line with Connecticut Governor Lamont’s guidelines.
In response, the Old Lyme Rangers altered their protocols for Sound View Beach for the past weekend and going forward to comply with the town and state’s social distancing rules.
Matt Weber, resident state trooper for the Town of Old Lyme, believes that this past weekend went smoothly with the new protocol and is hopeful for a smooth transition for the rest of the summer.
“With a considerable amount of pre-planning and a joint collaboration among multiple Old Lyme departments, local businesses and beach associations, the weekend was safe and enjoyable for all that came,” stated Weber. “Beach goers should expect to see a better prepared and trained Ranger team with a focus on safety and to make sure proper social distance is maintained.”
According to the Town of Old Lyme’s website, public beaches and parking lots are to be cut off at half capacity, those on the beach must abide by social distancing rules, and also wear a mask when close contact is unavoidable.
To help regulate how many people are on the beach, Rangers are issuing patrons a beach pass that states on which side of the beach they entered and at what time.
In case the passholder wants to temporarily leave the beach to use the restroom or dine at one of the surrounding restaurants, he or she will need to show their beach pass for re-entry.
Beachgoers may only enter and exit at designated entrances and exits, must stay on the side of the beach they entered on, and are discouraged from roaming around.
When beaches reach half capacity—at around 100 people in the case of Sound View—Rangers will deny access to the beach until some of the public leaves for the day. Although this weekend was fairly quiet due to the weather, Rangers had to close down the beaches on Sunday, but swiftly allowed more people onto the beach once others had exited.
Although these social distancing enforcements are new this season, the Rangers have been monitoring Sound View Beach for quite some time.
The Ranger program has run through the Town of Old Lyme’s Police Department for eight years and is used to implement the state’s public beach rules.
Over previous years, the Rangers’ duties consisted of checking coolers for alcohol or illegal substances, monitoring parking and enforcing beach rules. This year, however, Rangers are ready to enforce the new capacity and social distancing rules as well.
Sara Urbowitz of Old Lyme, the first, female supervisor for the Rangers, is confident that things will go smoothly this summer. The Old Lyme Police Department is also clearly confident in her leadership, since Urbowitz was supervisor for previous summers as well.
“We have a great team of hand-picked Rangers this year, who are dedicated to their jobs,” Urbowitz explained. “The Ranger program has been provided with the tools and resources needed to be successful. I am confident that we will have a great summer!”
So when will the beaches be open to full volume.