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Lakewood Village Beach Set To Reopen In June

Lakewood Village Beach at Richard O. Hartley Park is set to reopen to the public on Wednesday, June 29. The reopening precedes the return of fireworks during the village's Fourth of July festivities. P-J photo by Eric Tichy

LAKEWOOD — A popular draw in the village closed the last two years is set to reopen toward the end of next month.

Lakewood Village Beach will be open to the public beginning Wednesday, June 29.

Members of the Lakewood Village Board this week set the opening date of the beach, located at Richard O. Hartley Park, along with operating times: Wednesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Board members also authorized the village clerk to schedule interviews with lifeguard candidates, the lack of which has kept the beach closed longer than anticipated, Village Mayor Randy Holcomb said.

“We’re hoping for a nice turnout,” the mayor said this week. “We had some applications for lifeguards and we could always use more. It’s been about two years (since the beach has been open), so we’re happy to open it. We’re hopeful for what we will be able to do as time goes by.”

In addition to the lack of lifeguards, the beach had previously been closed to the public due to patches of blue-green algae that had shown up in areas of the southern basin near shorelines in Lakewood, Fluvanna, Long Point State Park and the Bemus Point area. A confirmed case of blue-green algae closed the beach in 2017.

Also set for its return in Lakewood is the popular fireworks display. The Fourth of July hallmark has been canceled the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are very excited as a board,” Holcomb said of the beach’s reopening and return of the fireworks display.

On Monday, the village board also approved a request by the Lakewood YMCA for use of village streets and Hartley Park for its annual Firecracker 10k and 2-mile run on Monday, July 4, beginning at 9 a.m.

In other board business:

• the village-sponsored Farmers and Artisans Market returns Thursday, June 2, at a slightly new location on Chautauqua Avenue north of Summit Street. Four parking spaces on Chautauqua Avenue will be closed when the market is open, Holcomb said. The market will run each Thursday through at least the summer.

• the establishment of four reserve funds were approved for the following: buildings, Lakewood Fire Department, Lakewood Department of Public Works and the Lakewood-Busti Police Department. Holcomb said funds put into each account can go toward of variety of needs, including new equipment for the fire and police departments.

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