HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-05-22
Beach Management Advisory Committee
22 May 2008
Members Present: Maureen Beck, Chair, Tom Dickson, Edie Ray, John Johnson
'08 11AY 30 mo :49
Mrs. Beck convened the meeting at 4:15 pm.
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She asked for approval of the Minutes of May 15, adding that Mr. Leddy had provided some corrections
by phone because he was ill at home. In the paragraph on beach erosion at Surfside the worst evidence
was between access points 19 and 20. In the paragraph regarding Mr. Leddy's clean-up at Miacomet, he
worked along the west side of the pond, not the beach. Regarding the trash awaiting pick-up at
Nobadeer Beach, he did not say that the DPW was slow to come, merely that no one had called for a
pick-up.
The members voted to approve the Minutes 3-1, with Mrs. Ray opposed.
Mrs. Beck reported that she had discussed with Managing Editor Josh Balling at the I&M the possibility
of an article on the issue of widespread litter on the island. He suggested that BMAC begin the
discussion with a letter to the Editor or an op-ed on the subject to test public reaction. While the
members were enthusiastic about a letter, Mrs. Ray stated that such a letter should be approved by the
Town Manager before being submitted to the paper. A motion was made by Mrs. Ray to do so, and was
approved unanimously.
The members worried that the closing of Madaket and Cisco beaches would perhaps overwhelm the
other island beaches. Mrs. Beck said that she was going to raise the issue at the Parks & Recreation
meeting that evening because Director Jimmy Manchester had asked the Beach Manager to wait until
June 15 for his reply regarding the situation at Madaket. Further concerns about alerting the public
arose. The members wanted the Beach Manager to notify NRTA, Visitors' Services, the bike shops, and
others involved in traffic to Madaket and Cisco about the closure so that tourists would not be
misguided.
Mrs. Ray raised another issue. She brought with her some business cards for Mr. Harry Larrabee's
Towing Service. They continually litter the beaches and are stapled and stuck to Town snow fencing and
emergency signs along beaches and moors all over the island. Mr. Larrabee has been admonished and
fined for beach violations before but should be cited also for this thoughtless defacing of Town and
conservation property. She will discuss this issue with her boss at the Conservation Foundation. Mrs.
Beck asked for some of the cards to take to the police station as evidence of possible violations. The
members wondered if the Beach Manager should confront Mr. Larrabee.
Mrs. Beck suggested next week's meeting discuss endangered species arrangements and a summer
meeting schedule. Mrs. Ray worried that there were only two monitors hired to oversee the
endangered species program.
Mrs. Beck adjourned the meeting at 5:00 pm.
Respectfully submitted, with notes from Tom Dickson,
Maureen Beck, Chair