Life at Bare Hill Pond will return to some semblance of normal this summer. As reported last week in the Press, the Parks and Recreation Commission plans to hold a limited version of swimming and boating lessons at the pond, and lifeguards will return. At its April 13 meeting, the Board of Health unanimously endorsed the commission’s COVID-19 protocol plan for the beach reopening.
Chair Sharon McCarthy told the board Parks and Rec is planning to post signs advising beachgoers to leave 12 feet of space between groups on the beach, or as BOH member Libby Levison put it, the length of two foam noodles. McCarthy suggested that Parks and Rec also post signs at the water’s edge reminding swimmers to stay 6 feet apart in the water and wear masks when not in the water.
Levison told the board the Department of Public Health advised local boards of health last week that town beach lifeguards should not have to enforce COVID-19 protocols. Levison suggested that Parks and Rec post a sign on the beach house with contact information for beachgoers who wish to report COVID-19 protocol compliance violations.
The board decided that violations should be reported to the state’s Department of Labor Standards (DLS), which is in charge of enforcing workplace and sector-specific COVID-19 protocols. DLS would then collaborate with the Harvard Board of Health to investigate the complaint and determine what corrective measures should be put in place if a violation occurred. The other option was to report violations directly to the Board of Health, but McCarthy said phone calls to Nashoba Associated Boards of Health would be received only during its business hours, whereas DLS has a reporting mechanism on its website.
