PROVIDENCE, RI – The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is announcing that as has been the case for several years, Scarborough South State Beach in Narragansett will be open daily starting Saturday, June 17, through Aug. 20 with lifeguards, beach staff, concessions, and restrooms available. After Aug. 20, the beach will be open weekends-only through Labor Day, Sept. 4. Scarborough South State Beach is the site of the former Olivo's and Lido's beaches located to the south of the popular Scarborough North State Beach. It added close to 16 acres and over 1,000 feet of beach frontage at Scarborough.
DEM is again encouraging beachgoers to buy their state beach parking pass at least a few days before their planned visit to the beach. Beach passes can be purchased by visiting the DEM website. Once purchased, season passes do not go into immediate effect. It takes up to 24 hours during the summer months for the buyer's residency status and age to be verified to charge the correct fee and for the pass to be validated. Individuals may purchase resident, non-resident, or senior season beach passes online, as well as a Pay As You Go Pass (formerly called a Daily Flex Pass), which allows you to save your payment method in our online system. DEM changed the name of this pass to avoid confusion in response to customer feedback.
To help reduce the amount of time beachgoers spend at the entry booths, DEM is urging Rhode Islanders to buy season and Pay As You Go passes online or well in advance of their visit. Prepaid customers may use the express lanes at beaches for speedier access. Purchasing season or Pay As You Go passes online also will help DEM keep the express lanes open, as there have been past instances when the express lanes could not be used because too many people were paying for parking at the entry gates rather using pre-paid parking passes. Express lanes are available at all state beaches except for East Beach, Charlestown Breachway, and Salty Brine, which are one-lane facilities. Beachgoers can check the near real-time status of state beach parking lots here.
DEM's parking vendor, LAZ Parking, uses license plate recognition (LPR) technology at the express lanes whereby a scan is taken of the rear license plates of prepaid customers confirming that the customer has paid to allow for quick entry. Please allow space for the car at the gate space for the reader to recognize the license plate. Driving bumper to bumper will cause the system to fault, requiring an attendant to manually enter the plate, and slow the flow of cars. Season passes no longer require a physical pass to be placed on vehicle windshields as passes are now electronically connected to an individual's license plate.
The Pay As You Go pass allows beachgoers to save their payment method in our online system. Beachgoers will only be charged the daily rate when they enter a state beach parking lot. The Pay As You Go pass maximizes value and convenience for those who are not frequent beachgoers but would like the opportunity to use the express lanes at larger state beaches that use LPR technology to scan the license plates of prepaid customers' vehicles and operate entrance gates.
Along with the online option, season beach parking passes may be purchased in person at the Scarborough South State Beach overflow lot from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM Monday through Friday. Season passes are not for sale at state beach entrance booths. DEM urges customers purchasing day passes at the entrance booths or customers purchasing a season pass at the overflow lot to have their money and documents ready to show the attendant to allow for these transactions to occur quickly and efficiently. Online credit card purchases are charged a 6% transaction charge; the total for a $30 RI resident season pass purchased online is $31.80. DEM asks customers purchasing a season pass in-person at the overflow lot to have their registration information ready to show the attendant to allow for these transactions to occur quickly and efficiently. Transactions after June 1 until Aug. 11 take up to 24 hours to validate. The last day of in-person sales is Friday, Aug. 11.
No-cost disability beach parking passes are available for those who are eligible. Please contact RI State Parks Headquarters at 401-667-6200 for questions on how to obtain this pass and to make an appointment.
DEM continues to accept applications for seasonal positions including qualified lifeguards for state beach facilities. New this season, DEM is offering one-time sign-on and retention bonuses of $500 each, along with higher salaries, to support the hiring of a robust workforce. Entry-level seasonal positions are still available at numerous locations throughout the state. All lifeguard positions require state certification and special training in first aid, CPR, and lifesaving. For a complete list of seasonal employment opportunities and to apply, job seekers may click here.
For more information on DEM programs and initiatives, visit www.dem.ri.gov. Follow DEM on Facebook, Twitter (@RhodeIslandDEM), or Instagram (@rhodeisland.dem) for timely updates.