Beach policies shifting with the tides

In John Cheever’s short story “The Swimmer,” the protagonist makes his way home by lapping through pools in a thinly disguised Fairfield County (the film version starring Burt Lancaster was shot here).

If the character were to attempt to do the same along the Long Island Sound shoreline, he wouldn’t face opposition as long as he swam past the high tide line. These waters, after all, belong to everyone.

But if he paused to step onto the sand in, say, Fairfield or Norwalk these days, he’d better have packed cash in his trunks for hefty fees or fines for crossing the line in the sand.

If considering the glass half-full of salt water, the pandemic has certainly elevated appreciation of one of Connecticut’s most precious resources. Unfortunately, as Gov. Ned Lamont accurately observed, our beaches are being “loved to death.”

Mayors and first selectmen are testing the waters of policies to reduce the number of out-of-towners at their beaches. It’s understandable given the desire to enforce social distancing, but it also collides with an ugly history of exclusion.

It’s been more than two decades since Stamford lawyer Brenden Leydon sued the Town of Greenwich after being turned away while trying to jog into Greenwich Point. Leydon ultimately prevailed in 2001 when the state Supreme Court ruled that municipalities could only block out nonresidents during an emergency.

If you don’t think the pandemic is an emergency, you likely also side with local leaders in some communities who refuse to bust open their Rainy Day Fund piggy banks because they can’t tell it’s pouring.

The ACLU’s Connecticut branch is already questioning the legality of Fairfield, Norwalk, East Haven and other towns declaring full-on bans of nonresidents.

Because policies are left in the hands of each municipality, they shift with the sands. Stamford is struggling with complaints from residents that hiking fees to limit out-of-towners only led to more nonConnecticut license plates showing up on local roads.

Stamford raised the parking fee for out-of-towners from $25 a day to $40 on weekdays and $65 on weekends, and the nonresident seasonal pass $50 to $275.

It’s more in line with towns such as Norwalk, and still a bargain compared with Westport, which drew accusations of racism two years ago when Compo Beach seasonal passes for nonresidents soared from $490 to $775.

Fairfield’s sale of 5,000 more passes than last year is an indicator of just how easy it is for the beaches to become dangerously overcrowded on steamy days.

We agree — for the most part — with municipal leaders taking tough stands, such as Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo threatening to shut his beaches to everyone if visitors can’t follow protocol.

But COVID-19 can’t become a long-term excuse to penalize nonresidents, who not only are paying fees that boost shrinking budgets but may choose to respond by declaring their own bans on local businesses and restaurants.

When temperatures drop, cool heads must prevail.

If considering the glass half-full of salt water, the pandemic has certainly elevated appreciation of one of Connecticut’s most precious resources.