With fishing season already opened earlier than normal due to the COVID-19 emergency, Governor Ned Lamont has joined several fellow governors in reopening state and local marinas, signaling a planned reopening of Newtown’s Eichler’s Cove facility.

Parks & Recreation Director Amy Mangold notified The Newtown Bee on Monday, April 27, that the local marina is scheduled to reopen on May 9.

The CT Mirror recently reported that Lamont, in conjunction with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, announced that marinas, boatyards, and marine manufacturers within the three states will be allowed to open for personal use “as long as strict social distancing and sanitization protocols are followed.”

According to the Lamont administration, chartered watercraft services or rentals will not be allowed, and related restaurant activity will remain limited to take-out or delivery.

Kathleen Burns, executive director of the Connecticut Marine Trades Association, said the opening of marinas will allow owners of watercraft to take their family "who you live with in the same household, to be able to go out into the best form of social distancing.

“To be out on the water, and away from everybody else, so it’s really to that degree that we’ll see personal boat use,” she added.

Burns said members of her organization have been instructed to refrain from “rafting up” with other boats — a process where boats link up on the water by casting anchors down and joining together above water using a rope or other mechanism.

“I think for everybody in their region to be able to go out, utilize their boat in their region, come back to their homes, do so safely, I think it’s going to be the best thing for all of us,” Burns said.

“Even in a good year with no problems, at this time of year everybody wants to be out on their boat,” she added. “But I think this year it’s for entirely different reasons, and that’s going to be able to get out, get away, enjoy the great outdoors, get some fresh air, bundle up and enjoy an early boating season when they can.”

Mangold said her staffers are “very excited to open the Marina for our patrons to be able to enjoy their boating season at a time when safe social distancing, outdoor recreation is so very beneficial to the health and well being of all.”

“We have come up with a strategic plan to address all phases of opening of this facility,” Mangold said “We are currently opening the marina and dry storage slips on May 9 as planned. Most of the slips are rented and patrons are very excited to enjoy the lake and their vessels.”

Newtown’s Park Wardens are seasoned and very accustomed to the operations of the Marina, and will be closely monitoring some very strict social distancing protocols to follow and execute with Eichler’s Cove patrons.

“We are following the CDC and State guidelines and have also been working with our First Selectman Dan Rosenthal and our Director of Health Donna Culbert,” Mangold said. “We will not have the picnic area or beach open for swimming for any groups to congregate at this time, and are adding extra sanitization measures, as well.”

The wardens have been trained to be very careful to only allow those who have purchased passes, launch keys, and slips to enter the marina, Mangold said.

“We are also informing the patrons of the current social distancing protocols and will follow any additional guidelines from the CDC and the State as assigned,” the parks director added. “We have Wardens and Security Guards at the location 24 hours a day and are confident we can safely and successfully operate the marina according to the required protocol.”

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