Several colored beach bags line the southern edge of the Harry Tappen Beach - Town of Oyster Bay in Sea Cliff every day at 10 a.m. and end abruptly at a metal fence. They wait in their cars to enter the pool at 11:00, while the bags are left inside. Unfortunately, not everyone gets in, which is troubling, especially if they are seniors.
As Diane Doxey, of Sea Cliff, a resident of the town of Oyster Bay, said in an interview with me, she had sent emails to Town officials asking for an adult swim time or limited hours, since families come to the pool during the day. There are no regulations about how long people are allowed to wait to get into the pool, she said. "I waited on line for 45 minutes, while seniors who were 85 and 91 waited an hour. Those lines get hot in the sun."
There is a new regulation in town as of Monday: a three-hour limit. Several residents complained and Pinto knew of some of their suggestions, according to the town's commissioner of parks. The delay made Pinto feel bad. "They said the house was crowded, so that was a problem," Pinto said. In addition, he said that he had spoken to Bill Zang, who oversees the town's swimming pools. "I heard what other municipalities were doing," Pinto said, "so we decided to try a three-hour limit." It has made people happy.
Harry Tappen Beach - Town of Oyster Bay, a small, municipal pool, neither Olympic-sized nor deep enough to allow people to see beneath the surface, there are between three and five feet of water. Although it has become more popular than ever during a warm summer amid the Coronavirus pandemic, many recreational facilities have been closed and more people have been forced to stay at home.
"I have never seen the pool so busy," said lifeguard Tara McGillicuddy of Sea Cliff. It's often filled to capacity, she said, so many people have to be turned away. Due to the pandemic, the town is only able to accommodate half of its normal capacity.
Residents cannot bring guests from outside the town to the pool, but they are allowed to bring guests from within the city. The maximum number of family members is ten, McGillicuddy said. Admission fees or seasonal memberships vary depending on the age of the resident.
All five of the town's swimming pools including Harry Tappen Beach - Town of Oyster Bay comply with all Covid-19-related mandates, but social distancing and mask-wearing are not permitted in the water or on the poolside. Cleaning is done every 15 minutes of the railings and chairs. He expressed pride in the Town of Oyster Bay's renovations of Tappen Beach last year which included adding shade structures and expanding the deck area.
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