Memorial Day Weekend, long earmarked as the unofficial open of the summer season on Block Island, will have a very different feel this year.
The Beach Pavilion will be closed. Public bathrooms are not expected to open, except at the Visitor Center in Old Harbor. Trash cans will not be placed on street corners.
Town officials said at this point they are trying to simply follow the guidelines that are coming from the state, even if sometimes those guidelines are unclear.
The major issue with the public bathrooms on Block Island has traditionally focused on cleanliness. This year there is that same issue on steroids, plus there is the issue of social distancing while waiting in line or in the bathroom facility itself.
“I am not anticipating opening bathrooms this weekend per many discussions” with Interim Town Manager Jim Kern, said town Facilities Manager Sam Bird. Bird said he would be following the guidelines set by the state, but the state guidelines are as of yet unclear. Bird said he has been talking with his counterpart in Newport, who said that bathroom facilities would not be open in that seaside town, either.
Bird said he had turned on
