HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-05-24
Beach Management Advisory Committee
Land Bank Conference Room
24 May 2007
4:00 p.m.
Members Present: Maureen Beck, Chair, Tom Dickson, Edie Ray, Colin Leddy, John
Johnson
The meeting was convened at 4:05 p.m. Because of the Beach Manager's absence there
was no Beach Report. Discussions arose about the situation at Smith's Point, the ~
compliance issues there, the traffic situation, the safety precautions at the ttlidofthe :...-
Point, the protection of the birds. No fencing to halt vehicles at the Point ~yet bee~
installed. It is expected that State officials will soon be here to check on t~;plovers. !hfrs.
Ray advised that callers be referred to the Beach Manager.
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Mrs. Beck reported that she had delivered the request for a meeting regarding BMAC~
concerns to the Town Manager on 18 May 2007. While there had been no reply at the
time ofthis meeting, Mrs. Gibson did respond to Mrs. Beck on Friday, 25 May, thanking
BMAC for the letter and requesting that she call the Committee for an August meeting.
Her commitments between now and August off island at Harvard and other meetings
prevent her from meeting any earlier. Her e-mail is enclosed with these minutes.
Mr. Dickson read the summary of Committee activities he had prepared for the 2004
Annual Report. Mrs. Beck remarked that the Committee has been consistent in its goals
and activities from then until now. She will provide at the next meetings copies of the
2005 and 2006 reports for use in drafting the 2007 report. She wants the Committee to
draw up a list of Committee accomplishments for this past year, i.e., no commercial use
at ponds and at easements to the Town of private beaches, education outreach to the
public, the number of vehicle and party permits issued for the beaches as compared to
other years, volunteer work at the beaches.
Mr. Leddy spoke at length about his worries about the over-regulation of some beach
activities, i.e., permits required for groups larger than 15 requesting a party on the beach.
He wondered if it was helpful or if people felt stifled about using the beach. The new
restriction of dogs on the beach by the Parks and Recreation Commission has added
further distress to some islanders used to freedom for their unleashed pets on beaches.
The other Committee members urged Mr. Leddy to press his concerns with the
appropriate agencies and to ask questions about the procedure for proposing changes
because that is the way town laws can be modified on all issues.
The meeting was adjourned at 5:05 p.m. The next meeting is 31 May 2007.
Respectfully submitted, with notes from John Johnson,
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Maureen Beck, Chair
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