UPDATED

Beach sticker sales start May 26

May 19, 2020

Beach stickers will go on sale Tuesday, May 26, according to a release from the town’s Parks and Recreation department.

The sale of stickers had been delayed while the Board of Parks and Recreation decided how to implement state safety guidelines for opening beaches during the coronavirus pandemic.

Round Hill Beach will open June 20, while Jones and Apponagansett Parks will open June 27 through Labor Day.

Stickers may be purchased Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Parks and Recreation mobile trailer located in front of Town Hall. Payment is check or credit card only.

This year’s stickers come with a host of new temporary restrictions on town beaches for the start of the season.

These include a limit of one beach sticker per household, a 50 percent parking capacity limit, group sizes limited to 10 or fewer people with groups spaced at least 12 feet apart, and six foot social distancing rules for the restrooms at Round Hill.

Stickers will not be made available for seasonal renters for the time being.

Beach hours will remain the same as in past years.

The stickers will cost the same as last year — $35 or $25 for senior citizens, with Jones and Apponagansett Park day passes for $10 and season passes for $50 — despite the new rules. 

Although some residents with stickers will likely be turned away on busy days, board members noted that more staff will be needed to deep clean and sanitize restrooms and picnic tables.

A daily police detail to keep staff members safe will also be needed for the gate to Round Hill as well as another for Apponagansett and Jones beaches, as the board anticipates issues with residents being turned away.

The restrictions will be in place as long as the pandemic situation requires them — but Parks and Recreation board members noted at a May 19 meeting that they could be loosened over the summer if the situation improves.

A letter outlining the new guidelines will be posted online and at Town Hall as well as included with the stickers.

For more information about purchasing a new sticker, contact Dartmouth Parks and Recreation at (508) 910-1812 or visit town.dartmouth.ma.us.

At the same meeting, board members also decided against canceling the summer concert series as a whole, although they may cancel each concert as necessary. The series is still set to kick off with the NB Rude Boys on June 10, with stringent social distancing guidelines in place.

“People have been cooped up for 50, 60 days at this point,” noted board member Joe Vieira. “It’s important — if we can get it going, if we can get it out there for the season pass holders, we should really think about that.”

Finally, board members decided that the Bucket, the department’s ice cream stand, will likely open in mid-June with limited hours to ensure it continues to break even during the pandemic.