ANNOUNCEMENTS
Board of Trustees Meeting 8/15/2020 @ 10:15 am
Meeting is being conducted in accordance with Executive Order 202.1. The manner in which this meeting will be taking place is by video/teleconference.
Meeting number (access code): 132 078 9539
Meeting password: Sunshine (78674463 from phones and video systems)
Join by phone - Tap to call in from a mobile device (attendees only) +1-408-418-9388 U.S. Toll
Join from a video system or application or Microsoft Skype
Dial 1320789539@webex.com
You can also dial 173.243.2.68 and enter your meeting number.
Need help? Go to http://help.webex.com
Hurricane Notice 8/3/2020
ATTENTION
Due to the predicted weather forecast with Hurricane Isaias:
- The VILLAGE OFFICE will be closed Tuesday, August 4, 2020
- The DOCTOR’S OFFICE will be closed for afternoon hours on Tuesday, August 4, 2020
- BULK TRASH will be moved from Wednesday, August 5, 2020 to Thursday, August 6th.
- ALL BOATS in the Marina should be properly secured by Tuesday, August 4, 2020
- The LAST FERRY out of Ocean Beach will be 1:40 pm on Tuesday, August 4, 2020. Wednesday, August 5th will be a regular ferry schedule
Stay safe!
Mayor's Corner - Early Boat Input 7/17/2020
Message from Fire Island Association:
Good Morning Everyone,
There is an early morning water taxi that was set up on a trial basis for several year-round residents who need to leave the island for work.
The fare is $15.00 per person and was subsidized by the generosity of the FIA.
The water taxi is able to take an additional 13 passengers for a maximum of 18 riders on a first come first serve basis. The people who had expressed the need were the people who were originally offered this early morning option.
Unfortunately, the ferry company may not be able to continue this without an increase of ridership. (they have only had an average of 3 people per trip) They will continue the scheduled taxi until NEXT FRIDAY, Friday July 24th. However, if the ridership does not improve they will have to stop providing this early morning option after the 24th.
The schedule is:
Seaview - 6:00 am
Dunewood - 6:10 am
Saltaire - 6:20 am
Getting to Bay Shore between 6:40 - 6:50 am
The fare is $15 per head. First come First Serve
Would anyone else be interested in this water taxi to keep it in service.
Again, this work-boat was set up for the Year-Round residents who needed to leave the island. The outreach had been made to residents who had contacted FINS with the need to exit the island earlier than the scheduled ferries.
To continue this option the ferry company needs to make it financially viable, which unfortunately now, it is not, and they may have to discontinue it.
Please let me know if you have any need for this ferry and be interested.
Be Safe and Stay well,
Dawn
Message from Chief Hesse - Bike Riding Restrictions
As of Friday, July 17th, bike riding restrictions will be lifted. Bike riding will be allowed at all times in the Village except for Bay Walk. No Riding on Bay Walk until Tuesday, September 8th, 2020. At night all bikes must have a light and a sounding device.
Ocean Beach Police Department
Mayor's Corner - Newsday Misquote 7/14/2020
Please be advised NO lifeguards in the Village of Ocean Beach have had or have tested positive for COVID-19. The report made by Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone was misquoted.
Mayor James S. Mallott
Board of Trustees Meeting 7/11/2020 @ 10:15 am
Meeting is being conducted in accordance with Executive Order 202.1. The manner in which this meeting will be taking place is by video/teleconference.
Meeting number (access code): 132 486 6594
Meeting password: sunshine (78674463 from phones and video systems)
Join by phone - Tap to call in from a mobile device (attendees only) +1-408-418-9388 U.S. Toll
Join from a video system or application or Microsoft Skype
Dial 1324866594@webex.com
You can also dial 173.243.2.68 and enter your meeting number.
Need help? Go to http://help.webex.com
Ocean Beach Youth Group Announcement 6/29/2020
To our OBYG families,
With the traditional opening of camp less than a week away, and a recent scare at a local restaurant showing us just how vulnerable our community can be, we have reluctantly come to the conclusion that we cannot find a responsible way forward in which to operate camp this summer.
Since the COVID-19 crisis began, all of us here at OBYG have been working tirelessly to design a safe summer camp program for your children. As the weeks went on and the trajectory of this virus became less clear, we shifted gears to create a recreation program where our campers could enjoy sports, arts and bay activities outdoors and remain socially distant.
However, the variables are just too many; we are a transient community with the majority traveling here by ferry. We do not yet know enough about the uptick in virus cases and the financial, legal and health risks are simply too great.
We want you to know that we have seriously considered every option and looked at this issue from every angle. We have spoken to island doctors, off-island doctors, insurance agents and underwriters, public health officials, other Long Island camps, both those who have closed and those that have decided to open. We had discussions with both POW and Saltaire who operate their camps as village recreation programs and who have both recently decided to open on a limited scale.'
Opening OBYG requires significant spending. In this pandemic environment, we have little confidence anyone can accurately predict camp enrollment and revenue. That could be disastrous. OBYG and this Board are also 100% committed to giving jobs to every single local teenager and twenty something. That would have been impossible this year. We predicted we would need less than half our staff. Which local kids and parents should we say no to?
We also approached the Village about local testing and becoming a village recreation program during this emergency, more akin to the other FI camps. Clearly our Mayor and Trustees are confronting new burdens and scary issues that as a summer transient community, no one could have imagined. We are all truly in this together. Operating as a village rec program and giving all of our revenues to the Village would have allowed us to side-step the significant financial risks and the legal exposure we face this year while operating in our traditional structure. Local testing would have been the biggest piece of allaying health concerns for campers, counselors, parents and multi-generational families. Our thought was that the Village most likely already had the expensive insurance required to operate through the pandemic.
The Village was very sympathetic, and did offer significant help, but ultimately was unable to focus on the many, many granular details to take on OBYG as a rec program in such a compressed time period. We understand we are just one spoke in the Ocean Beach wheel and we appreciate their efforts. We especially want to thank Dawn Hargraves and Brian Power for their time and accessibility.
Needless to say, this has been a heart-wrenching decision for us and one which we did not come to lightly.
However, our commitment to the families of Ocean Beach is unwavering and we will continue to monitor the metrics. We have not ruled out the chance to reverse this decision as Suffolk County moves into Phase 4. We are also working on a way to share resources with our families as we have such talented and committed staff still available to provide activities and supervision for your children.
For families who have already registered for camp and would consider rolling over tuition to help us meet our annual costs will receive a 10% discount for next year's tuition. To request a refund, please email oceanbeachyouthgroup@yahoo.com.
Please watch for additional information in the very near future, and please stay safe and well.
Sincerely,
Ralph Scordino and the OBYG Board of Directors
Ferry Ticket Books - SOLD OUT 6/19/2020
Ferry Ticket books are SOLD OUT as of 6/19/2020!
Don’t forget to get your applications in early next year. The application for 2021 will be on the website in December!
Mosquito Spraying Update 6/17/2020
Please be advise Suffolk County Vector Control has begun treating sitting water with granules to control the mosquito population. Spraying/fogging will commence in July weekly on Tuesday’s in the evenings.
Board of Trustees Meeting 6/13/2020 @ 10:15am
Meeting is being conducted in accordance with Executive Order 202.1. The manner in which this meeting will be taking place is by video/teleconference.
Meeting number (access code): 132 105 5277
Meeting password: public (782542 from phones and video systems)
Join by phone - Tap to call in from a mobile device (attendees only) +1-408-418-9388 U.S. Toll
Join from a video system or application or Microsoft Skype
Dial 1321055277@webex.com
You can also dial 173.243.2.68 and enter your meeting number.
Need help? Go to http://help.webex.com
Village Office is Open 5/28/2020
The village office is now open for all transactions -
ONLY ONE PERSON IS PERMITTED IN THE OFFICE AT A TIME, A FACE MASK/COVERING IS REQUIRED AND YOU MUST MAINTAIN 6’ SOCIAL DISTANCE
Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Saturday 9:00 am - 12:30 pm
OBA Coronavirus Update 5/14/2020
May 14, 2020
As we transition from NY Pause to NY Forward, we would like to update our Ocean Beach residents.
Suffolk and Nassau Counties, including Fire Island, will be able to move forward together based on how they meet the seven criteria that Governor Cuomo has established for each region to achieve.
At this time, Long Island is achieving four of seven criteria; we are still missing the required metric for new hospitalizations, sustained decline in hospital deaths and contact tracing. Steve Bellone, the Suffolk County Executive, and his team project that our region will meet all seven criteria on or about May 25 and will begin the re-opening process then. Construction, agriculture, retail – curbside pickup only, and manufacturing are included in Phase 1.
Phase 2 which would potentially kick in around June 8 would include retail – instore shopping, professional services, and real estate. Phase 3 would be around June 22 and would include restaurants. Finally, phase 4 would be another two weeks later including Education and Arts. All of these openings would be under guidelines that have yet to be published by the Governor’s Office. All of this is subject to change obviously based on our response to the Coronarivus.
Additionally, low risk activities have been approved to resume statewide, but details have not yet been provided including tennis, landscaping/gardening, drive in movies and more.
Community leaders and elected officials from all Fire Island communities continue to work closely with the Suffolk County Executive and his team, representatives from the Towns of Islip and Brookhaven, FINS, the FIA, the Fire Island emergency response teams, Suffolk County PD, to identify and strategize the actions that need to be taken to re-open Fire Island in particular. In addition to all of the general concerns we are aware of, Fire Island has specific challenges with beaches, and ferry service.
As previously mentioned, there is a specific Summer/Beaches Opening committee established by Steve Bellone as well as a Fire Island specific sub-committee. These committees are expected to share their recommendations on May 18 for discussion and approval by our county and state leaders.
Driving permits from FINS have been extended through May 22 for contractors and year round residents.
(Year rounders have limited additional driving capabilities through June 26.)
Ferries continue to be a major topic of concern; there are a lot of actions being taken to protect both the ferry crews and riders and we are recapping them here. Please note that taking the ferry is a choice you make and you need to understand the guidelines under which the ferries are operating. The Coast Guard determines guidelines for ferry operations and has NOT mandated any capacity reductions. Fire Island Ferries is doing more than is mandated in an effort to keep their crews and passengers safe, not because they have to, but because it is the right thing to do.
Ferry Update
Ferry crew are essential workers and should be treated as such with our utmost thanks and appreciation for continuing to provide ferry service to us during this frightening time.
Ferries are not required to adjust their capacity, but Fire Island Ferries has committed to do their best to limit their capacity to 50% or less. This has been achieved without exception so far this season. As the season progresses, FIF will adjust their schedules and equipment availability to accommodate increased passengers. For Memorial Day in particular, FIF will have equipment and crews available to handle high ridership as in the past. We all obviously hope this is not the case. Please use your best judgement in determining when to travel. At this time, with so many not working or working from home, it is probably best to avoid Friday and Sunday afternoons.
FIF is prepared to have Security on board ferries to OB and OBP on Memorial Day Weekend if needed.
A Public Address system has been installed at the Bay Shore Ferry Terminal and is streaming CDC information including wearing a mask/face covering and hand washing. Announcements can now also be made on board the ferries.
Passengers are required to wear a mask/face covering on the ferry. No mask, no ride. Passengers must keep them on at all times, so no eating or drinking on the ferry.
The West Terminal servicing Seaview and OBP is now open, so the Main Terminal is now servicing only Ocean Beach, Dunewood and Fair Harbor.
Ferry service directly to Seaview was added a few weeks ago.
Passengers must exercise social responsibility and socially distance while waiting to board.
Based on availability of equipment, ferries may be able to be boarded up to 30 minutes prior to departure time in Bay Shore.
Ocean Beach Guidance signs have been put at up at the Bay Shore Ferry Terminal to discourage any unaware visitors.
Ferries are being disinfected in Bay Shore between trips.
Restrooms are open at the Bay Shore Ferry Terminal.
Passenger freight can be dropped off at the freight house prior to 3:30 pm Monday through Saturday and up until the last ferry on Friday evening. Fire Island Ferries is looking to limit passenger baggage in order to allow for greater social distancing on board.
Passenger freight will accept a small cart, but with essentials and perishables only. Items such as cases of wine or water should be delivered to the freight house.
Water Taxis are available for cross bay service and usage has greatly increased.
Let us also share with you what is being done to ensure that potential visitors fully understand what our current status is on Fire Island and in Ocean Beach in particular so that they are encouraged to hold off on visiting until a later date. Here are the actions that have been taken to that end:
What Visitors can Expect in Ocean Beach – managing expectations!
Restaurants are not open for dine-in.
Bars are NOT open.
Hotels are not open.
Take out food and alcohol is available for at home consumption only.
Masks must be worn at all times in public in the Village of Ocean Beach including town, walks and beach.
No Smoking is allowed in public in Ocean Beach including town, walks and beach.
Limited ferry schedule.
Beaches are for passive use only – walking only, no swimming, no beach chairs, no coolers. No ball playing or other organized activities.
Transient Marina is closed.
Signage placed at Ferry Terminal in Bay Shore.
We will continue to provide reports to you on an ongoing basis.
Stay safe and healthy,
The Ocean Beach Association Board of Directors