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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-12-06 Beach Management Advisory Committee 6 December 2007 Members Present: Maureen Beck, Chair, Tom Dickson, Edie Ray, Colin Leddy; Beach Manager Jeff Carlson g Special Guest: Town Manager Libby Gibson 0"" ~ ..t.<.;: dJ"'... C- c r- I UJ Mrs. Beck convened the meeting at 4:00 pm and asked Mrs. Gibson to address issues regar~ the Beach Driving Map. Mrs. Gibson presented a draft of a letter she plans to send Mr. and Mrs~iollum in .fS, reply to their request for removing their beach property from the Map. In it she explained t~t property owners may "opt out" of the permitted areas for driving by a written request for removal, which their letter had conveyed. She also was considering the possibility of the Town's installing some snow fencing at the Collums' property, if requested. The members endorsed the letter, and she and the Beach Manager will work on a way to indicate on the map that the beach at 34-36 Western Avenue is closed to vehicles. Should the Collums respond to her letter, it may be possible to interest them in further ways to relieve their concerns. They had mentioned to her that other property owners in their neighborhood were interested in "opting out," also. Mrs. Beck confirmed that three others who had been approached by Mr. Collum had spoken to her but had asked only to be kept abreast of the decisions. Mr. Carlson stated that the Collum property only extended to the high water mark. Mrs. Beck thought all beach private properties extended to the low water mark, but Mr. Carlson stated that that was not a general rule, that there were variations in the deeds. Mr. Dickson and Mr. Leddy stated that historically the access to Point of Breakers for fisherman was an acknowledged tradition. They both commented that the Collums may be unhappy to have their address listed on the Map. As to other changes on the Map, Mr. Leddy's suggestions to change the print of the dog regulations from red to black and to re-phrase the regulation on tire pressures were not supported. The members did eliminate two access points and asked the Beach Manager to look into driving questions for Smith's Point and Eel Point. Mrs. Ray suggested he contact Karen Beattie at the Conservation Foundation for an opinion. Mrs. Beck gave a copy of the Map with the areas to be questioned or changed to Mrs. Gibson, who will meet with the Beach Manager to make final determinations. Mr. Carlson will contact Eileen Powers for printing the 2008 Map. Mrs. Gibson distributed copies of the Beach Management Revolving Fund to the members, who thanked her for her attention to these tasks. She asked how BMAC's meetings on beach issues with other agencies were proceeding. When the members responded favorably, Mrs. Beck offered to send her an interim report on the discussions so far. Mrs. Gibson left the meeting at 4:35 pm. Mrs. Beck asked for approval of the Minutes of 18 October and 15 November, which were voted unanimously. Mr. Leddy did regret that he had not had time to prepare a further discussion of those of 18 October but was assured by Mrs. Beck that they could always be reviewed again later. Mrs. Ray asked Mr. Carlson about carrying out random checks on vehicles on the beach during the off seasons. Mr. Carlson assured her he was continuing to do so, checking for stickers and vehicles inappropriately parked on the beaches. Mrs. Ray stated that she continued to worry about the perception that there was a different set of rules for summer use of the beaches and for winter. Mr. Carlson replied that he was even checking that the drivers carried the beach brochures in their cars. Mrs. Beck asked Mr. Carlson about his progress with the poster contest at the schools. He replied that he was developing a plan for execution after the first of the year. He also recommended that we should delay asking Officer Carnevale to visit until spring. Mrs. Beck asked for suggestions of agencies to continue our discussions for beach operations. Mr. Carlson and Mr. Leddy asked that we discuss guests and a year's end review at BMAC's meeting next week on December 13. The members agreed. The members looked at meeting dates in 2008 and decided to sign up for January 10 and 17 to begin the New Year. The meeting was adjourned at 4:50 pm. Respectfully submitted, with notes from Edie Ray, Maureen Beck, Chair.