Wiborg’s Beach in East Hampton Village will get bathrooms and lifeguards, the deputy mayor, Chris Minardi, announced on Friday.
“It’s a popular beach, a beautiful beach, and there’s no reason we should have an unprotected stretch of beach in the village,” he said.
“They’re going to save somebody down there, without a doubt,” said Village Police Chief Mike Tracey. “To me it’s a no brainer. We can do it, and therefore, I feel like we have to do it.”
“We had 181 saves last year; 153 were at Main Beach,” Drew Smith, the village’s head lifeguard, said. With the large majority of saves happening at Main Beach, which is closest to Wiborg’s, the village lifeguards would have to pull guards and resources from Main to get to Wiborg’s should there be an emergency there. “Wiborg is a big gap in terms of safety,” Mr. Smith said.
Several lifeguards and residents called in to the village board meeting to applaud the move.
Spencer Schneider, a “resident of the town” but also “a lifeguard at the village beaches” said, “It is a health and safety issue.” He explained how the drive from Main Beach to Wiborg’s can take several minutes on busy weekends. “This is critical,” he said. “There’s an expectation the public has of being protected at the beach. . . . I’m really happy that you folks are doing this.”
“It’s just a matter of time before something tragic happens at Wiborg’s, with the amount of use that beach gets,” said James Amaden, a former village lifeguard. “The village could potentially have a huge liability concern if you don’t have somebody stationed there,” he added.
Mr. Amaden also weighed in on the potential for bathrooms at the beach. “Bathrooms are pretty easy,” he said. “There’s no bathrooms, so people are finding places to go.”
“Having full-time lifeguards down there is a fantastic idea,” said Bob Tucci, a longtime member of the East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue squad. He also supported the installation of bathrooms there. Officials tell people to swim where there are lifeguards, he said, but “we need to bring the lifeguards to the people.”
John Tarbet, another member of the ocean rescue squad, said of the local lifeguards, “we’re a close-knit group.” When lifeguards go to the beach in their off-hours, he said they’re always watching the water, never able to truly relax. “Every summer someone drowns in an un-lifeguarded beach,” he said, agreeing that with the installation of lifeguards at Wiborg’s, the village has a chance to save a life.
“I think this is something we absolutely have to do,” said Tiger Graham, a village trustee. “Having an unguarded beach with a sign saying ‘no swimming’ doesn’t work. It is a liability issue, and we have to deal with this.”
When asked about a timeline for the new bathrooms, village administrator Marcos Baladron said that the village had to figure out the water and electric first, but that they were “trying to go as fast as we can.”
The board also reminded people that nonresident village beach parking permits go on sale at 12:01 a.m. on Monday.
They will only be available online at the East Hampton village website.
Only 3,100 permits are sold on a first-come-first-served basis. They cost $500 per vehicle.
Purchasers of the permits “don’t actually get a sticker,” according to Mayor Larsen. “You don’t get a permit in the mail. You don’t get a sticker to put on your car. It’s all done by your license plate,” he said during the recent village board meeting.
The village uses a license plate recognition system, that features cameras which scan license plates for compliance with village parking regulations.
To park at the village beaches from May 15 through Sept. 15, people must have valid parking permits.
Village parking permits are free for residents and are available at Village Hall and, during the season, at the office at Main Beach. People must show proof of residence.
Everyone who seeks a village permit, whether a resident or not, must provide a valid vehicle registration.
