Community Corner

Women: Town Needs To Stop Memorial Day 'Free For All'

Two Waterford women and frequent users of Waterford Beach are asking the Recreation and Parks Commission to begin manning the beach on Memorial Day weekend, instead of their custom of beginning on the third weekend in June.

Two Waterford women are circulating an online petition to encourage the Recreation and Parks Commission to man Waterford Beach beginning Memorial Day weekend, instead of in the middle of June, after there were incidents at the beach the past few years.

Last year, there were several people who had to be removed from Waterford Beach Park after they were caught drinking and acting rowdy, Recreation and Parks Director Brian Flaherty said. Now two Waterford women are asking Recreation and Parks to begin manning the park earlier in the year, to avoid that situation.

“I feel that as a Waterford taxpayer the town needs to be more proactive,” Melissa Guarnieri wrote in an email to Patch. “I was told by Brian Flaherty from (recreation and parks) that if there's an issue than beachgoers need to call the police. I don't feel that way. I feel that if the town is allowing these crowds of people on the beach than it is also their responsibility to protect the families and people that go there.”

Janet Zimmermann said during Memorial Day weekend in 2011, there was so many people drinking at the beach and acting rowdy that she refused to take her family there this past Memorial Day. She said she wanted to say something to the Recreation and Parks Commission rather than just do nothing about it. 

“I believe a change is in order," Zimmermann said. “If the town of Waterford takes action now, I believe there will be a climate of order and safety (during Memorial Day weekend).” 

The Recreation and Parks Commission said they would look into the problem, but said they wish it was voiced earlier so they could have had more time to fix it. Still, the commission agreed to move their next meeting to May 21 - the week before Memorial Day - to see if there is something they can do to address the problem. 

The Issue

Waterford Beach Park is open to all and people can come and go as they please for free, except from the third weekend in June to Labor Day. During that time, there is a charge for people to use the beach, and there is staff on duty who ensure people follow beach rules – most notably, no drinking.

Last year, in early June, before Recreation and Parks had anybody manning the beach, there were some people who were removed from the beach for drinking,  Flaherty said. Guarnieri and Zimmermann are now asking the commission to have people at the beach on Memorial Day – the time when people really begin to use it – to curb that problem.

Guarnieri described Memorial Day weekend as a “free for all” at Waterford Beach, with “lots of profanity, drinking and huge crowds,” in an email to Patch. She said it is unwelcoming and scary to the families who go there and there needs to be supervision from the town.

However, Flaherty said it isn’t that easy. First off, there is a cost to having personnel at the beach, a cost the Recreation and Parks Commission hasn’t budgeted for, he said. 

The town would make money, because they now would be charging people to use the beach, but that money goes to the town’s general fund and not the Recreation and Parks Commission’s budget, Flaherty said. Overall, it costs about $1,300 to have people at the beach for a weekend, he said.

Also, most of the staff is either students in high school or college or teachers, Flaherty said. Most of those people are not available until school ends, he said.

Flaherty did encourage people to call the Waterford Police Department if there are any issues and said he personally would be visiting the beach several times Memorial Day weekend. Meanwhile, the Recreation and Parks Commission agreed to see what they could do to fix the problem at their next meeting on May 21. 


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