Glen Cove residents flock to reopened parks

This article was updated May 5.

As the Covid-19 crisis is past its peak Glen Cove is among the communities in the state that has brought back its parks. 

“I think people have been cooped up for long enough and the weather is about to turn really nice,” Glen Cove Mayor Tim Tenke said at the Glen Cove City Council Meeting on April 28. “Please follow the rules when you go into the parks. The rules will be posted outside the entrances to the parks and I want everyone to enjoy it. Please get out, get some fresh air.” 

The Glen Cove Golf Club opened for appointments on Friday and pickleball at Stanco Park opened during the weekend, with playgrounds, basketball, handball and racquetball courts throughout the city remaining closed. Morgan Park opened on Saturday, May 2 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

As temperatures soared to the 70s on Sunday, Glen Cove and Locust Valley residents flocked to Morgan Park. 

“If you want to use the park, feel free to do so, but please exercise social distancing,” Tenke said. “We’re going to slowly see how this works out. Again, we will have the Auxiliary Police there keeping an eye on things, if anyone has any questions. Please stay off the jetty. We don’t want people going out to the jetty. The beach down there will be open.” 

The Auxiliary Police watched over the jetty, as families stood on the shore, walked the trail or sat on the field. Most were wearing masks. Glen Cove Police Department Chief William Whitton said that there were no reports of residents’ not following social distancing guidelines during the park’s re-opening weekend. 

And while some residents were stopped by Auxiliary Police when attempting to climb the jetty, along with others choosing not to wear their masks in the parks, Whitton said that most have been following the rules. 

Residents, he added, should continue to follow these directives to prevent the parks from closing once again. “It’s very important that people keep [socially distancing] so that we can keep parks open,” he said. “If it becomes a situation where people are not socially distancing and not listening to the rules and regulations put in place, I’m quite sure [city officials] would revisit the possibility of closing.” 

“Let’s try to work together to make sure that we can keep our parks open because part of our agreement with the state is that if [the rules are] not being followed,  I still have the jurisdiction to close it back up,” Tenke said. “I don’t want to do that. I really don’t.” 

Glen Cove couple John and Merna Nuss were present at the park that Sunday, taking in the view from their lawn chairs. “Look at what we have here,” Merna said. “This is paradise and with this going on, we really needed this. It’s good to see people all around.”

However, the couple said they wished that people would follow the instructions on a sign posted at the entrance that mandated the use of a mask. “I think it’s wrong . . . people do what they want to do,” Merna said. “Our governor said, ‘make sure you wear them’ and I do what he says. I do whatever he tells us. I’m happy to do it.” 

John noted that the New York City Parks Department distributed cloth masks at parks across the bureau, adding that Glen Cove should have a similar policy. 

 Crescent Beach will remain closed because its size does not allow for social distancing, Tenke said, adding that Pryibil Beach will remain closed until Memorial Day because of its proximity to the pier and that there isn’t much room to walk. 

Welwyn Preserve will also reopen to the public from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. “I want to open more than one park at a time so that people will not crowd into one park,” Tenke said. “So Welwyn will be open, the trails at Garvies Point Museum [will open].” 

Governor Andrew Cuomo on April 26 announced a phased plan to reopen the state. Based on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations, a region can begin a phased re-opening once it experiences a 14-day decline in hospitalization. In Nassau County, according to the State Department of Health, 220 people tested positive on April 27 of the 1,499 tests given. 

Cuomo said that the plan to re-open would be coordinated throughout the state, especially in the downstate region. He recommended the coordination of parks and beach openings, among other facilities and amenities. 

“I am doing this because the governor has asked us to make sure that we open up our parks and our golf course,” Tenke said. “The reasoning behind his recommendation to open them is because it keeps people from Glen Cove from traveling to Bayville or to Oyster Bay or to Sea Cliff to use those beaches. We’re going to open ours so people can use our beaches.” 

The mayor said that city personnel will be present at the parks to monitor residency starting Memorial Day weekend. “We really want to try to keep a tight range on our beaches and keep them clean and usable for our residents,” Tenke said.