Special needs camp sets up for a modified summer run
Camp Anchor in Lido Beach serves hundreds of campers each summer. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
Hempstead Town officials will reopen the Camp Anchor in Lido Beach this summer on a limited basis to special needs campers.
The town-owned beachside camp, which serves about 1,200 children and adults year-round, will allow campers to attend the on-site facility for one week during the summer, combined with five weeks of online classroom activities.
The camp has been closed since March during the COVID-19 pandemic. Town officials were awaiting further guidance from the state after Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo allowed summer day camps and special instruction to resume with Long Island’s phased reopening.
“Camp Anchor is the crown jewel in the Town of Hempstead,” Hempstead Supervisor Don Clavin said. “We wanted to have some program available to these campers. It’s important to them that they see their friends. We wanted to give them and their parents a chance to enjoy some aspect of this COVID-19 summer.”
The town parks department and town physician Dr. David Neubert are reopening the camp with safety protocols, including a limit of about 120 campers on site each week to accommodate the approximately 680 total summer campers, Clavin said. The camp will conduct temperature checks at drop off and officials will monitor the health of campers, staff and volunteers. Bathrooms will be cleaned every 30 minutes and staff have added extra hand sanitation dispensers.
Parents were notified last week that the camp will resume July 13. The camp may incorporate some family events if Long Island reopens to Phase 4 this summer, Parks Commissioner Frank Zangla said in the letter.
Lisa Davis of Baldwin, a camp volunteer whose 23-year-old son James has been a camper there for the past 15 years, said she was surprised the program resumed this summer, even if it is a modified season. She said the camp is like a family that connects campers and families in the special needs community.
"The week gives things a sense of normalcy to see counselors and have some fun in light of everything going on," Davis said. "It gives our family a respite as well. We're not worrying about what to do with them."
Parks officials said the camp’s pool and spray pad have not yet reopened, and it’s unclear if they will resume this summer.
Online courses will include daily videos, and campers will also receive a box of arts and crafts supplies.
Parents who don’t want to participate in this year's camp can request a refund or apply fees to next year.
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
