Southold Town Beach closed for summer after storm damage: ‘I don’t think it’s safe’
Swimmers heading to Town Beach will have to look elsewhere this summer. The popular strip of sand will be closed during the busy tourist season after severe winter storm damage left the shoreline unsafe, town officials said.
“I would recommend not encouraging people to go there,” town recreation supervisor Janet Douglass advised the board during a work session on Tuesday, March 24. “I don’t think that it’s safe.”
Barricades have been placed to block access to the beach — officially named Lt. George R. Sullivan Beach, which has been severely eroded and structurally compromised, as The Suffolk Times reported following the historic Blizzard of 2026.
“If county inspectors come, we’re at risk of being shut down and fined,” Ms. Douglass told the board before it announced the decision.
During a visit on Thursday, the parking lot was crumbling onto the sand. The damage has worsened over time, and the town’s attempt to replenish the beach’s sand last year didn’t last, Southold Town Supervisor Al Krupski lamented the night before at the annual State of Mattituck dinner.
The county’s Department of Health Services certifies the town’s six bathing beaches, which are staffed by town lifeguards and beach attendants.
“Ever since I’ve been here, the lifeguard stands have been straight as you go in,” Ms. Douglass said. “Right now, that’s not an option.”
Ms. Douglass and other local officials also dismissed the idea of a partial opening. A suggestion to move swim ropes to the eastern side by the playground is easier said than done, Ms. Douglass added.
“At first it looks like there’s sand there … but there appears to be a solid substrate under there, which I think poses additional risks,” Ms. Douglass said of the area by the playground. “Until we find a better way to shore it up and make it a safe and welcoming place, we’re just putting lipstick on a pig.”
Board member Jill Doherty recommended that the on-site bathrooms remain completely closed.
“If you open the bathrooms, that means you’re encouraging people to be there,” she said. “That also covers our liability. If somebody does go on there and gets hurt, we could say this beach was officially closed for the season, and the signs say so.”
Mr. Krupski said the town will meet at the beach Thursday, April 2, with county, state and federal representatives to begin discussions on long-term repairs and restoration.
The county, which owns Route 48 next to the beach, is studying what will be needed to raise that stretch of road.
“With the county Coastal Resiliency Study, if the road is going to be elevated, that should be one project with the parking lot,” Mr. Krupski said.
Town engineer Michael Collins said he is considering a cobble-based approach to reinforce the edge of the parking lot and has submitted a funding proposal for the design to the Long Island Sound Partnership.
“It would have been too much chaos leading up to and during the summer,” he said. “It’s just best that it’s closed.”
Town maintenance supervisor Erick Haas said he was expecting to receive materials Tuesday for new signage to warn residents of dangerous areas. Parking will still be allowed in safe areas so people can watch sunsets.
Residents and visitors can still frolic by the surf at the town’s other five beaches: New Suffolk, Gull Pond, Goose Creek, Kenney’s and McCabe’s.
