Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin announced the reopening of the town’s marinas Monday in accordance with Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive order Saturday that marinas could open for personal use. Cuomo previously mandated the shutdown of marinas across the state March 20.
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran has been advocating for the reopening of marinas for the past couple of weeks, Nassau County Deputy Communications Director Michael Fricchione told Blank Slate Media Tuesday.
“The county executive believes that opening up marinas [is] an important first step in reopening the economy,” he said. It’s something that she’s been. . .pointing to as a common sense step that we can take as a region to get people back to work.”
Cuomo recently appointed Curran to sit on a task force called Imagine New York, the purpose of which is to make decisions about reopening the economy in a regional way as the number of coronavirus cases continue to go down, Fricchione added.
Clavin unveiled newly implemented safety protocols at the Curtis E. Fisher West Marina in Point Lookout Monday, accompanied by Hempstead Councilmen Anthony D’Esposito and Chris Carini.
“Marinas are vital to the Town of Hempstead, especially for our communities along the water,” said D’Esposito. “Please follow these important safety guidelines to ensure the safety of others and that we can keep our marinas open.”
The protocols include staying 50 feet away from other boats, waiting for vessels to exit the fuel dock before entering, avoiding mooring congregations and staying inland, since rescue services are low on numbers.
“We wish boaters a safe and healthy season during the COVID-19 pandemic and ask that everyone follows the town’s safety rules,” Carini said.
Beyond simply providing the opportunity to get out of the house, Long Island’s bays and waterways are a source of income for many business owners and boaters.
“Opening our marinas is an important opportunity not only to provide recreational opportunities for our residents, but to inject some energy into the economy that is based here on our bays and waterways during the height of boating season,” said Clavin.
“Most marinas are dying to get back into business,” Fricchione said. “They depend on this and it’s an important part of the Long Island economy, which is why it’s been so important that this is one of the first things to open up for Long Island, especially as we head into the warmer months.”
