With twenty socially distanced areas now available at Morses pond, the much loved local hangout is once again giving Wellesley residents the chance to enjoy some sand and sun. To reserve one of the highly coveted beach spots you need to go to the Wellesley recreation page and sign up for a two-hour time block. At the moment reservations can only be made three days into the future, and getting one is quite competitive. New reservation spots open up at 7AM every morning and are filled almost immediately during this swim-at-your-own-risk season (See “Morses Pond won’t have lifeguards, but could have life”)

Even the Swellesley Report couldn’t get a spot (OK, let’s say I haven’t exactly been an early riser of late), forcing us to instead embark out without one in an attempt to investigate what the scene was like. Unfortunately, upon arriving, all of the current visitors were on their way out, as their two-hour slot had just ended, leaving a 30-minute waiting period before the next wave of visitors came. So we didn’t capture that full beach shot we had figured on.

Jake, a Mopo employee who was directing cars into the parking lot and checking reservations, said that for the most part people stay for the whole two hours, “especially people with kids,” and that people start to make their way out after the fifteen minute warning they are given before their time slot runs out.

Spending time at the beach is valued time for Wellesley families with younger children, as well as a way for nannies to entertain kids in a socially distanced world, as Ruby Cramer, a Mopo employee working on checking people into the beach noted. She has seen a lot of nannies but not a lot of “older kids.” The Swellesley Report cannot help but suspect that for many high school students the requirement of waking up at 7am to reserve a spot may be a strong deterrent.

Emily, a Wellesley resident who had secured two time slots since the program began, had high praise for the system and for the other visitors’ etiquette. She said it had been easy to maintain her distance, and pointed out the cars in the lot which people had conscientiously parked with a good bit of distance between them. In the water, even the younger visitors are aware of social distancing, Emily said, telling about how a young girl who swam near her backed away and told her they “needed to stay far apart.”

Although not the same as in years past, both employees and visitors both expressed a sentiment of gratitude that the pond is able to be open in any capacity, and to do so in a safe way.

The Wellesley Recreation Department has opened up the online reservation system for claiming stakes to 20 sections of the Morses Pond beach come Monday, June 8. Spots are filling up quickly, though the system only lets you reserve 3 days out to avoid anyone hogging up all the spaces at once.

If you want to reserve a spot, you’ll need to answer a few questions, such as about how many people are in your party and how many vehicles you’ll have. Reserving 2-hour time slots is free and for residents only. The blanketing area on the beach will have slots available from 10 am – 12 pm, 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm, 3 pm – 5 pm, 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm daily. Gates will be open 9:30am-8pm.

The town is not providing lifeguards or other amenities, including bathrooms or a snack shake. The town’s Rec Commission determined it would be way too difficult to properly train lifeguards, provide the usual menu of services (kayak rentals, etc.)  and keep patrons and staff safe under state rules designed to contain the spread of COVID-19.

So you’ll need to prepare to make your experience enjoyable. You’ll also need to know your limitations and those of your kids, as the pond will be swim-at-your-own-risk.

A handful of park rangers will roam the premises to make sure people are playing, or sitting, by the rules.

Update: 5/27: A Board of Selectmen report that the gate will remain open at Turner Road during the day and parking will be available for residents for now. But the town was disappointed that police removed 70 people from the beach yesterday who disregarded the fencing installed to block access. The hope is that park rangers will be able to monitor the situation in the future and that the DPW will provide support, including for trash disposal.

And if you have the clever idea of heading over to lovely Farm Pond in Sherborn, stop.  Sherborn Board of Health: “Tthe beach & boat ramp at Farm Pond is currently closed until further notice with the gates being locked. We are working hard to get safety measures for visitors and staff in place so that the Farm Pond Reservation can open once again.  Please check this website for official notices regarding Farm Pond.”

Wellesley’s Recreation Commission, which has been wrestling for months with COVID-19’s ramifications on the Recreation Department’s offerings, decided this week that the town will not offer its usual array of Morses Pond services. That means no lifeguards, beach passes, kayak rentals, snack shack or bathrooms.

It was pretty obvious from recent Rec Commission meetings that the members were leaning this way, despite continuing to explore seemingly all angles. They crunched all sorts of numbers to figure out how reducing parking, making the beach residents-only, or other configurations might make things manageable in light of strict COVID-19 inspired rules about operating such a facility. They’d also been monitoring what other communities have been doing, and a number (Bedford, Foxborough, etc.) have already decided to close their beaches.

If the Morses Pond beach is to be available this summer it will likely be in a swim-at-your-own-risk way, but more town departments will be weighing in before that becomes sanctioned (parts of Morses pond already are swim at your own risk). In addition to safety concerns at the beach, with its notorious drop-off from the sand, sanitation and other issues will be factors in any decision.

The town is trying to make sense of beach and other guidelines set forth by the state in its reopening plan, and decide on what will work for Wellesley (th School Committee this week voted “to authorize the re-opening of school-owned fields and tennis courts in conjunction with the reopening plan for NRC-owned land that is currently under development.”) With temps on the rise this week, dozens have already been flocking to the closed beach.

The Rec Commission’s decision in large part came down to overwhelming challenges in providing a safe environment for staff and patrons. Lifeguards would essentially need to bring family members with them to serve as training buddies each morning. The wearing of masks by lifeguards and the possible double duty of policing social distancing provides another set of challenges that the commission deemed untenable. Rec Commission member Jim Rodrigue also raised the question of whether the beach crowd could result in “viral shedding” that could impact the wider community’s safety.

The possibility remains that the town could devise a compromise approach. Perhaps re-locking the Turner Road gate to dissuade crowds. Perhaps posting bouncers at the beach entrances to keep chuckleheads from being too chuckleheaded.

“I think this is one of those problems that whatever you decide, when you squeeze it in one place like that doll where the eyes pop out, or somewhere else the arms or whatever, there’s not going to be an easy solution,” said Rec Commission Chair Paul Cramer.

Having the beach closed for official Recreation Department activities is no huge hit financially for the town, as it typically loses $30K-$60K on the venture. Slap on thousands more in expenses to cover regular deep cleanings and that would get even uglier. What’s more, half the usual revenue comes from daily fees, and that option wouldn’t be offered in light of the move toward contactless transactions, says Rec Director Matt Chin.

But the beach is held dear in town for many reasons, especially for those who don’t have the luxury of escaping to a beach house. It also provides dozens of summer jobs for locals (including one of the Swellesley Jrs., in years past) and offers a nearby place to cool off and hang out for residents, many of whom will likely be staying closer to home this summer in light of travel restrictions and health concerns.