TORONTO — While the Ohio Valley is many miles from any ocean, there are beaches to be found at area lakes, including Austin Lake RV Park and Campground that sits of state Route 152 outside of Richmond.

To comply with recommendations for safe distancing, the park’s owners are prohibiting groups of non-family members with more than 10 people from entering the beach area, which cannot be occupied by more than 150 people at a time.

Beach hours of noon to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday have been designated for registered campers only while a mix of campers and daily customers can use the beach from 2:30-8 p.m. each day.

Patrons are being asked to be considerate of others and not monopolize the beach.

Bill Cable, president of Austin Lakes Inc., noted the park offers other recreational opportunities, including paddle boats, kayaks and canoes.

Cable said the number of people on the beach will be monitored by staff and markers have been placed to ensure guests maintain distance from each other.

“We are making every attempt to meet Gov. DeWine’s and (former state health director) Dr. Amy Acton’s guidelines,” he said.

He said about 40 staff members working at the park met two weeks ago to learn how its facilities would reopen under conditions spurred by concerns about the pandemic.

From the stones in the gem mining attraction for children to the life jackets worn on the paddle boats, staff will be cleaning and disinfecting equipment regularly, Cable said.

He added signs have been posted to encourage guests to practice good hygiene.

“We have probably dropped an additional $2,000 just for signs,” he said.

The park’s Facebook page advises those who feel sick, display any symptom of COVID-19 or have been exposed to someone with the coronavirus to stay home. Parents and other guardians are asked to bring hand sanitizer for their children to use it frequently and everyone is encouraged to wear masks at the park’s indoor facilities.

The park’s pavilions have been closed as a precaution.

But Cable said such measures won’t keep the park from providing guests a quality, fun experience.

Asked about attendance at the beach, Cable said Wednesday, “We have not run out of space at this time though today (when temperatures reached the 90s), but we came very close. We have never seen so many people on the beach on a weekday.”

Cable said it might be because many public pools have closed but there’s also been great demand for the park’s camp sites.

He said some canceled their camp site reservations “but for all of those cancellations, we have filled almost immediately.”

Cable said it’s possible that after following the shelter-in-place order for several weeks, people want to do things outdoors.

He said whatever the case, visitors have appreciated being able to come to the park, even under the COVID-19 restrictions.

“I’ve received many calls from people saying, thank you for being open,” Cable said.

(Scott can be contacted at wscott@heraldstaronline.com.)