By Bill Parry
As temperatures head into the 90s this weekend beaches and public pools will remain open after City Council funding allowed the city Parks Department to extend the summer swimming season an extra six days. Labor Day weekend, the traditional end of summer, was spoiled by Tropical Storm Hermine, which never reached shore but created life-threatening rip currents along the Queens shoreline.
The city banned swimming, surfing and bathing through Tuesday. In Rockaway the NYPD and Parks Department police forced swimmers and surfers from the water while the beaches and boardwalk remained open to the public.
At Boarders on the Boardwalk at Beach 97th Street Monday, a saleswoman said it was by far the roughest surf of the season, but business was not a bust on Labor Day.
“A lot of people came out to see the waves and so we had a surprisingly busy day,” she said at the souvenir shop that also rents out surf boards and bikes. “It wasn’t a typically busy Labor Day, for sure, but it wasn’t the worst either.”
The City Council provided $1.7 million to fund lifeguards, maintenance workers and other parks staff for the additional week at beaches and outdoor pools.
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparr
