Summer starts now

Memorial Day weekend marks opening of town beach Greenwood Lake - The weather forecast this weekend calls for sunny skies and temperatures reaching in the 80s. What a great weekend to go to the beach. There is no need to travel down the Garden State Parkway, though. The town beach at Greenwood Lake officially opens Saturday, May 27. This new beach opened just two years ago and was purchased in 2003 for $875,000 via the town’s Purchase of Development Rights program. This three-acre property sits closer to the center of the village than the old town beach off Gamache Lane, which is leased from the Palisades Interstate Park Commission for $1 each year. That beach is closed for renovations this year and will reopen by next year, possibly the fall, according to town Supervisor Michael Sweeton, as a passive boat launch. The new town beach in the village has had a facelift since last year. The parking lot has been reconfigured and new curbing is going in. The town is putting a new flagpole up and a turnaround on Windemere Avenue. Thanks to architectural and planning students at the New York College of Technology, part of the City University of New York, the beach has been turned into a natural amphitheatre for seating. This is where the Village of Greenwood Lake holds its concerts. “Everything we incorporated was through their design,” said Sweeton of the students. The beach is open on weekends through June 25. It will be open daily from June 26 through Sept. 4. In addition to the beautiful waters and sandy beach of Greenwood Lake, visitors to the beach may also enjoy a children’s play area, volleyball court, and picnic area. The beach is supervised by trained lifeguards during its regular hours of 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. And the town beach is a bargain. Family passes cost just $100 for Orange County residents. Seniors residents can get a season pass for just $25. An adult resident’s season pass costs $40, $25 for a child. A one day pass is just $3. Guest passes are $7 or $3 if accompanied by a resident. Non-resident passes are higher. On June 23 at 6:30 p.m. the town will rededicate the beach the Thomas B. Morahan Waterside Park.