Church Bay Beach and Coney Island Nature Reserve will be closed until October, 2004, the Department of Parks announced yesterday.

And the Department urged the public to exercise caution when using most of the other parks and beaches on the Island this summer after they received damage during Hurricane Fabian.

Parks has placed signs warning of dangerous zones and where work continues in Ferry Point Park, Cooper's Island Nature Reserve, Blue Hole Hill Park, John Smith's Bay, Watch Hill Park, Spittal Pond, Astwood Park, Warwick Long Bay Park, Horseshoe Bay and along the Railway Trail.

Of those parks, John Smith's Bay, Church Bay, Warwick Long Bay and Coney Island will need "major civil engineering work" to guarantee public safety and prevent further erosion in the future.

However, Parks Department head Candy Foggo explained, her department cannot put a timeline on the engineering work as it will be up to the Department of Works and Engineering and whatever private contractors have to be hired to complete the job.

According to a Parks Department Press release, the Parks Department has teamed up with the Structures Section of Works and Engineering. Together they have developed a strategy to carry out these repairs and are developing schematic designs. was unable to contact the Ministry of Works and Engineering yesterday.

However, "as a temporary solution for John Smith's Bay and the car park area of Warwick Long Bay, contractors have begun reinstatement work", the Parks Press release stated. "Church Bay Park and Coney Island Nature Reserve will be closed until October, 2004 while permanent solutions are implemented."

Church Bay snorkelling stand owner and host of the summertime "Church Bay Report" on VSB Boyd Vallis said the move was "understandable" in light of the safety issues ? but voiced his disappointment that "we're losing the season at one of our little tourist areas".

He said he was willing to work with Government "at whatever level", including taking part in the repairs, to get Church Bay reopened for the summer, but added he was looking into other potential jobs for the summer months.

"I would have hoped perhaps they could've made enough emergency repairs just to carry them through the season," he said.

A Parks spokesperson said not since Hurricane Emily in 1987 has there been a storm that has had such a destructive impact on the Island's parks, beaches and nature reserves. Places like Horseshoe Bay and Spittal Pond have been altered forever.

"While nature has begun to heal itself, the Parks Department, with the assistance of local contractors, has worked diligently over the winter months to clear the vast amounts of storm debris, repair facilities, and begin the crucial replanting process to replace trees lost during the storm," the spokesperson said.

However, the Press release stated, "it will be several years before all the parks and nature reserves are returned to pre-Fabian condition".