The very things that have made Sag Harbor Village a popular destination — its mix of shops, restaurants, parks, and cultural institutions — will complicate the process of emerging from the Covid-19 shutdown, Mayor Kathleen Mulcahy said in an interview on Monday.
“When we reopen it will be a different animal,” said Ms. Mulcahy. The village has established a task force that will develop plans for a safe reopening of the commercial district. One proposal being discussed, she said, is closing Main Street to traffic to provide pedestrians enough room to maintain proper social distancing, but that possibility was a long shot, she said. “The store owners are like, ‘Are you out of your mind?’ “
The ongoing need for social distancing will also likely have a severe financial impact on restaurants. “Can they survive at 50 percent capacity?” she asked.
Another task force is focused on the use of the village’s public spaces. The picnic tables in Steinbeck Park have been removed to prevent people from congregating, and the newly-renovated Long Wharf, which was designed to be a more inviting gathering place, will not include benches when it opens in May, she said.
At a village board meeting on Friday, the trustees discussed a proposal from Bay Street Theater to hold outdoor readings in July and August in place of being able to put on productions at its main stage.
Tracy Mitchell, the theater’s executive director, said on Monday that subscribers had already paid $250,000 for tickets this summer, and “we’re trying to fulfill our mission.”
Aidan Corish and James LaRocca, village trustees, have been meeting with Ms. Mitchell to see if the events can be safely held at Havens Beach, but no plans have been finalized.
Their colleagues Robert Plumb and Thomas Gardella, the deputy mayor, said they were not in favor of the allowing such gatherings, however. “The number one priority should be safety,” said Mr. Gardella at the board meeting. “The virus has already done enough damage.”
A proposal from the Sag Harbor Cinema Arts Center to hold a drive-in movie screening was also met with skepticism.
“It’s really a density issue,” said Ms. Mulcahy on Monday. “I love the idea of a drive-in, but people will roll their windows down and let their kids run around.”
Many people are not complying with the mandates for social distancing and to wear face masks, she said. The police tape the village has used to cordon off benches on Main Street, for instance, has been removed, she said, and a woman who was not wearing a mask said, “Stay out of my business,” when Ms. Mulcahy advised her to put one on.
The lack of compliance, said Ms. Mulcahy, makes it less likely that the village will allow any organized gatherings in the near future.