I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all. Okay, we'll jump
we'll jump right on. Uh I consider you part of the lifeguard report, Dana, so we'll jump right on the lifeguard report. Okay. Would you like us both? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, please. Mhm. Hi everybody. Okay. Um so overall things seem to be going well.
Absolutely. Um I check in with uh Mike here um just you know a few times every week just about. I try to go out to the beach at least once a week uh just to check in and say hi to the guards and see how things are going. Um so uh I think kind
of like the biggest news was about the jet skiers. Um we had on Saturday about five jet skiers who that came by cherry and web via ocean um and got too close to the swimmers. Um it actually is in
the local paper so I brought that today front page. Um, but I think overall the guards did a good job of making sure that um through well I can let you describe it but the harbor master was called in um along with the police and
they helped give citations to those jet skiers and handled the situation. Were they jumping the waves and Yeah. Yeah. But why don't you talk about the experience then? I mean uh pretty basic. They came really close to shore and uh two of the guards went to whistle them out. Um they threw
obscene gestures their way, the jet skiers and um then uh you know they made calls to the harm master and uh they were very quick in response time uh and they were cited you know so and there
was five of them. So that was pretty much that. I mean we really can't we don't we can't make policies regarding jet skiers because we don't we don't do that but we just follow standard 100. Yeah. What I mean it's like a certain distance. Yeah. Exactly.
Shore or any Yeah. 15. I mean I I mean there is a policy. Yeah. Yeah. So you know about 10 years ago we had a problem not similar to this. Yeah. And uh you know there were suggestions of dropping buoys out there saying you know
swim zone or something like that. So if you say 100 ft, who knows what 100 ft is? And then who's who's to say when the Jessie is doing, you know, 30 mph back and forth across the beach where 100 ft is or wherever things like that or we just do a safe zone across the whole
carrying web out until get to Portugal. I don't you know, it sounds like this was pretty obvious that they were too close to Yeah, they usually a lot of them especially they come in and they beach down at Boers's Beach and you know Yeah. There's only two ramps you can go from, you know.
Okay. Uh um other than that, Mike, did you want to report on uh any injuries or We had a couple medical emergencies. One in particular, um a uh young girl broke her uh either broke or dislocated. I think she broke her ankle. Um she, you
know, we worked with EMS and got her transported to St. Luke's. Um break her ankle. Skim boarding. Yeah, that it'll do it. Um, you know, besides that, you've been taking care of business and, uh, everything's been pretty good. So far,
so good. Um, I've been in contact with Chris Bole. You know, we always, uh, do a radio check every day. So, everything's going smooth. And then Mike was just telling me that they closed the beach a bit today because of some lightning, thunder. Um, so that's good. You're sticking with
that policy. Um, are there other times you've had to do that with all the rain we've gotten? We have this Do we have the sign? We don't have the sign though, do we? that said beach closed. No, no, we never got that. Okay. I kind of feel I talked to Chris today as a matter of fact about a couple of signs. So, okay. Uh and that was one of them. One of them
was there's no sign that if you're locked in, what do you do? There was a sign and I don't know where it went and I said we have to have a sign there so people cuz they're dialing 911. Mhm. You know, and they should be dialing the business phone, not the 911.
Yeah. Would you like me to follow up with an email to the highway department? to Chris this morning. Okay. So, he said he was making him. All right. Very good. I don't know what that means when we'll get him, but I he's aware and I'll check with him next week.
What What is the process? Tell me a little bit about the broken ankle. So, you guys just spotted from the lifeguard stand. So, you like you want me to go through the whole situation? Yeah, sure. Yeah, absolutely. So, I was actually at stand one, three uh with two other guards. Uh three of the other guards
were at stand two. Um they radioed him, called a med medical emergency. They went down with the gator. One of the guards assisted with the father lifting the girl into the gator. Uh we stabilized the ankle and we met with EMS actually at Bakers um because they were
coming down from horse neck. So we met with them, I transferred her to an ambulance and then she was taken. And then we had the parents fill up in the truck or the gator in the gator. Yeah. And then uh the um parents had to fill out some paperwork, you know, uh
incident report and stuff, but besides that, that's pretty much that. Um yeah, there's really I mean we're not with our training, we're not taught to like pop it back in or anything like that. You just Yeah. No, really. You just kind of have to stabilize it. So, and you guys fill out an incident
report, something like that. Yep. That's part of the binder that I provided for them. It has official forms in there that he will fill that out. Um and then just so we have a written record of what's happened along with he has a spiral notebook to just keep daily logs and such.
Yes. Yeah. Every day we write a log, you know, so it will say, you know, exercises we did, uh what color flaging, the weather, um if we had whatever incidents occurred, if we had to shut down the beach for a period of time because of thunder, lightning, stuff
like that. So So this was And they have these round things that they throw in the beach. Yeah. And they they jump on it. Yeah. Yeah. So it's like it's called a skim board. Yeah. And they skim along. Those are terrible. Yeah. It's an injury waiting to happen
doing it. So kind of they are fun. Yeah. I know. But it's you got to like you have to properly wax the board and I mean I'd be more worried about knees, you know, blow out a knee completely doing something like that. But anyway, uh like me on a skateboard. Yeah. Yeah.
Some things you just don't try. Uh that is that it that um I have two other things. Um, one is, um, Jim Hartnett, the town administrator, uh, popped by my office today and just wanted to share and have
me share with you all that, um, someone from the yacht club, um, I guess communicate with someone from Westport Disability Commission about the interest of or proposing that somehow we get beach mats from the portagon at Cherry
Web to the entrance to the beach, stating that the sand there tends to be deeper, that it's very hot on the people's feet. Um, and I asked Jim, well, were they willing to fund it? And he said I he wasn't sure, but I guess
there's been some communication there. I'd be happy to follow up with the disability commission just to see what the how the conversation went. And, you know, I know the disability commission also has some funds. Maybe this some something they would want to talk to you all about. I'm not sure.
I've got something for them, too. It doesn't have to go in the life report. So, um Okay. Yeah. Yeah. I that was discussed a while ago. That's a long way to run with the mat, you know. And um you know, that stuff's not cheap. That you know, that's and the I think the highway department
puts it in Beach Avenue, right? Is that right? Yeah. And they and yeah, they nail it down, but it's uh but there's not that much of it. So, if you had to buy a lot of it, it would add up.
Somebody's got to come up with it. Well, like I mentioned, I know the Westport Disability Commission does have some funds. Uh, and they get all the parking receipts, but they use them for a lot of things. Uh, and I can talk to Martin Cost about that, but he he had some he had a wish. I'm not bring them now. What the heck?
Uh, of a uh handicap picnic table for the Kitty Beach, and I looked into it. was 900 bucks for the same exact ones we have there except it has an open side with a extended square piece so a wheelchair you don't need to that's all we could put it just to the left the removing mat there and they can just
roll right in so we can discuss that a little later but that was yeah I think the mat would be tremendous I mean I know there's a cost associated with it pay for it yeah they're going to pay for it I don't it's expensive Matt those mats are expensive but
how much was the one over at the other beach. That was a grant. We didn't have to pay for that, you know. And these are the kind of things that, you know, all a sudden you look at the end of the year like where'd all the money go. Well, they have, you know, wounded warriors and there there
well they have there are groups out there that Yeah. And there's grants available. There's ADA grants available and stuff and that's something to talk to Martin about and everything because he might be able to get plant funding, but the yach club wants to kick in then, hey, more power to him. So,
um, but I believe that's all I really had about guards or guard related. Um, and then I know I've been now checking the emails for the beach committee, um, and foring those on as needed. And I know that's one of the topics on Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. So, I won't jump ahead.
Yeah. Yeah. That's a different thing. So, as far as lifeguards, there were two things that came up. Uh, the first one, one of them I have it on executive session. And we're not going to go into executive session regarding one of the items, but one of the items was uh the request, the issue with East Beach. The
lifeguards want to work on a rainy day, by all means, they can head over to East Beach and pick up some of the stuff over there with trash bag and and with a go over with the truck, pick it up, and toss it in the dumpster. All right. Uh and it leads to something about the emails that Dana and I are all aware of.
I think everybody here is aware of. But that's one thing, you know, if it's raining and there's nobody there, head over just, you know, if they want to spend the whatever, you know, because we're gonna get to that in a minute. And the second thing is on July 6th, and I hate to bring this up, Mike,
did you let somebody out of the beach parking lot? Yeah, I did. Okay. So, we don't have a written policy regarding that, but we're going to make a written policy because the only person that can let people that can let people out of the beach Mhm. are the police. Okay. And there's a reason for that. Uh,
one is that particular person that was let out didn't have a sticker for some and was well after 80. I don't know when they called you, but it was probably I got the call from the police at 9:52. Mhm. Which is well past when they ever should
have been on the beach. So, it's a problem if they get out and there's no citation issued and there's no things. It's like Perry will tell you and I will tell you the number of phone calls you get from people who want to, you know, let them out, let them in, you know, can get there early, can get there late, you
know, that kind of stuff. And it's just the policy that you're in, you're in. The only police in and out is the police because if something should happen or something did happen and you let them out, now we've got an issue again. So, uh, moving forward, don't do that. Okay.
Okay. Now, what time do the gates close? Because, uh, 8:00. Okay. says, "Is that regular? Does it happen regularly?" The last 20 years on the signs and it's on the big flashing sign gate locked at 8. I mean, I go down truthfully. Mhm. I probably shouldn't say this. I know
it's nice weather like tonight. It's hot in the sun. People want to watch the sunset. I don't go down there till 8:30. Mhm. So, either if you're not coming off at 8:30 cuz it's just starting to get dark now. Uhhuh. I'm not chasing you. Just find out where you are and you're going to get locked in. We had a couple of repeat offenders
I have to send to you. Uh you know, it seems to be the same people who just can't figure it out. But anyway, uh if nothing good happens after 8 8:30 on the beach. So, and I think if we're able to get new signs out there, you know, stating like I know there's some that say gates close
at 8 or it's Well, it says no parking 8:00 p.m. 8:00 a.m. It says on the rule sign there as you go through, but the big flashing sign Yeah. right on the road says gates locked at eight permit required. But like you were saying like what to do if you get locked in.
Yeah, that's the problem because I I thought it was there and I thought it was on the little mini uh library and I guess it wasn't wasn't on the post next to it and and then I noticed it because that question came up like who they call. Yeah. Like if you're from out of town, you're
not going to know that the police say 6361212, you know. So you're going to be like, "Okay, I got to get out of here. How do I get out of here?" Sure. So there's no sign that says that. Yeah. Hunker down, shelter in place. Yeah. Well, my my philosophy because and the police don't aren't real thrilled about
letting people out either because it's the last place they need to be Fourth of July weekend that particular night because there's too many other things going on, too many other places to be down as far away from the rest of the town of Westport than anywhere else. Yeah. The only worst place would be Beach Avenue uh as far as being away from the
center of activity and that's a whole different thing. Uh, other than that, any anybody anything any I think it would be great if uh I know we talked about a gate there. Uh, that would probably alleviate a lot of the problems if it was a uh
automatic gate. Automatic. It would, but you know, my sense is cuz they've already wrecked the gate a couple of times. Yeah. They probably just drive through it. Well, somebody has already done that once on the on the on the bay. Somebody has cut the chain. Yeah. So, if they're not afraid to cut
the chain in the lot, they're not afraid to, you know, I, you know, an expensive gate makes me a little nervous that they'll be able to wreck that, too. And it can't just be this thing. It's got to be Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. A real deal. So, anyway, we still should look into it
cuz it make my life a lot easier. But, uh, I know. I I did look into it. Um, and then I did call a place and they were supposed to get back to me. I I'm not sure if they ever did. like it kind of like fell to the wayside cuz it wasn't priority at the time when we were establishing guards. I'd be happy to
like look more at it after the summer season when things calm down a bit and come back to you guys with some real numbers. Okay. Yeah, cuz I mean I get a little nervous. And the other thing is the truck. Mhm. I did get some kids fooling around with the truck one night.
What truck? The guard truck. Really? Yeah. Uh it's parked in a bad spot. It's in the darkest part of the whole parking lot. Okay. Where would you like that to be parked? In the Kitty Beach parking lot. Okay. Out there because it's under the It's
lit up because of the yacht club and it's also got a lot of eyes on it like neighbors that can see it where you've got to park typically in that corner. It's like just about you can't even see. I know you even got ticketed once. Uh yep. I got ticketed with the old truck.
I was down there this morning. saw the ticket and I thought it was funny like because there was a couple cars in there left over. So, uh anyway, anybody else or Mike or Dana or I think as a separate issue um we had
talked about uh the police department and monitoring the uh parking lot uh their ability to do that and we're going to discuss that further. We can. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Uh he said I don't want to keep
sure you I can say another 15 20 minutes. Well then let's talk about East Beach here. So for the last 10 years every time I came around the corner on July 5th there were truckloads of spent fireworks on East Beach. Uh last year was real bad. I got
pictures. This year was worse cuz it was not just spent fireworks. There was beer cans, beer bottles. If I showed you the video on my dash cam of me driving through there on Fourth of July night, it was a spectacular night for starters. Yeah. Both sides of East Beach Road from
Horseeneck to John Reed full cars. Wow. And I didn't see a sticker on any of them. Mhm. And people shooting off fireworks on East Beach and they and they leave this spent fireworks all the time. And I usually I pick up the ones that I see and usually after July 4th the high
department knows to go down there and they Chris and I filled up four truckloads full a couple years ago spent fireworks pickup truck full. So this year July 5th fell on a Saturday the highway department wasn't working
and we had a uh email from a concerned citizen. A couple emails from two different people people. Yeah. I mean cuz they came around the corner and they saw the exact same things I saw. It was ridiculous. It was absolutely ridiculous. It's gotten ridiculous. Some and somebody's going to get killed down there because when I'm driving there and I'm doing 5 miles an
hour, just kids running in front of me, dogs running in front of me, people on electric bikes, you know, and they're shooting fireworks across the road and they're playing throwing frisbes in the road, and it's it's out of control. So the only way I can see to fix this
problem from a town standpoint, we can't do anything about trail lots is basically a Fourth of July weekend or you know thereof basically close East Beach at like 7:00 and say nobody parks here. Come back at
the you know open all day. You can sit there all day. You can sit there, but we can get some Jersey barriers, portal jersey barriers from the highway department and just close down, especially the north side of the road with the whole public beach part of
Well, is there any specific uh you know, maybe a town bylaw prohibiting state law you can't shoot fireworks public property? It's become it's become a safe every year it gets worse and worse and worse because there's no place to set fireworks off and not many people shoot fireworks anymore. So, East Beach has
become a go-to place because like Kevin Curtis used for probably $10,000. But can we make it a a fine? More of a public safety issue though, like people. That's what I was wondering like why the police aren't patrolling that area. They are, but it's like it's got again
it's one of these things where we're the most trouble in town when you have like three three police cars on the road in the whole town of Westport. Uh are you patrolling 88? Are you patrolling Route 6? Are you patrolling by, you know, or you're patrolling the beach? I did see police go by, but it's just it's just way overwhelming. You
literally need a riot police to get people out of there. It it was completely out of control. This I wonder if we if any if there if there were enough of a fine to do it. Well, I think he has the only way to do it is just close it down. Go down there 7:30. Just put up the jersey barriers,
run everybody out of there. Maybe maybe ask the fire department if they I mean go park a couple trucks there. Bayside. I think they probably generate business from folks going down. Oh, I'm sure they do. Yeah, but I don't know how much of it is actually their business because I saw
more pizza box the next morning, Burger King rappers, Dunkin' Donut, you know, iced coffee. The folks down there, but I think people travel that road to get to the Bayside, right? But the issue is they're parked all on both sides of the road and they're waiting for firework and you know the people who are shooting
them off on East Beach on the town beach themselves. Yeah. It's crazy. It's absolutely crazy. You know, and I know people go there just to watch those things, but there's absolutely no control over anything. There's no parking controls. It's like in, you know, between the drinking. I
mean, people are bringing barbecue grills and, you know, they're having, you know, tailgate parties and the whole deal. And the next morning it was pretty bad. I didn't pick up one this year because I was waiting for that because I was like, I'm not picking all this crap up myself. Yeah. You know, it was just all over the road,
all both sides of the road. The pile on East Beach, I took a picture of it, was ridiculous. And people who live around the corner there, I don't know how they put up with it, but uh but people in general, if you're going to East Beach on July 5th,
Yeah. you're going to deal with it. It's It's not right. It's not right. It's It's unfortunate. I mean, technically beaches are closed at 8. Mhm. So, you know, it's not Nobody ever enforces that. Yeah. You know, uh and it's going to make some people not happy, including some
residents. Sure. But I don't think I don't know how you control it any other way cuz you can't have a policeman sitting there all night checking stickers, throwing people out, chasing people out. I just think it's the only way cuz so it would be my recommendation to make a recommendation
to Sluggman that July 4th which will be Saturday next year. They go through with like a bullhorn and say all right everybody without get off the beach and then you can say
if you set the closing time at 7 you say everybody you know sticker or no go home. Yeah. You got to go home. Yeah, it's time to go home or go somewhere else. Can't stay here. Yeah, you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here. You know, uh I don't know what else to
do to fix that problem. Um would it be worth consulting with the police department on it to see what they would suggest? Yeah, because I'm sure they don't like what's going on there any and I don't think you could, you know, a couple of police could ever control what was going on there unless it was when they're both
parked on both sides of East Beach Road. Mhm. The road is really narrow and everybody's darting in and between cars. The guy in front of me must have jacked on his brake a half a dozen times like you know ball will roll across you know and then you know people do the preliminary fireworks before the real fireworks and
grand finale. Yeah. You know and it was just it was ridiculous when I went down to lock up and I've had an unordinate amount of people getting locked in this year and I don't know why. Stickers and not stickers. Yeah. Uh
would you like me to call the police department and chat with them? If you want to, you know, talk to Chris and see if uh but it would be my recommendation and I I'd make a motion that we make a recommendation that the I mean we can close it at 8 for all intents and purposes, but if you start
running down there at 7:00 and start putting up barriers to get people out of there, they'll be out of there by 8. But if you put the word out and maybe we move the sign over there temporarily for one night that says, you know, beach closed. Yeah, it'll get the word out cuz it can't go on any what's going on down there. It
can't go on anymore cuz it's just so literally I don't I should ask Chris how many truckloads he took away this year. Yeah, but it's ridiculous. You know, he's filling up his pickup truck. I'm filling up mine going over the dumpster. It's just like you could you could do it all day long. That was just the fireworks. Never mind the beer cans, the plates,
the pizza boxes, the Dunkin Donut wrappers, the you name it, it was everything. I I I understand your point, but I feel like closing down a street is more of public safety, you know, concern. So, well, not the street. Just the beach.
Oh, the beach. Yeah. Just close the beach. Yeah. If they want to shoot off fireworks at the trailers and blow themselves up, that's that's their prerogative. You know, it's just the town beach where everybody's parking. The beach town. Yeah. I think I mean, there was a camper pulled in there and they camped overnight. There
was somebody in a little streamline camper that stayed overnight, you know, and you know, they had a carpet rolled out and they, you know, they were one of the ones with the barbecue grills and a bunch of friends there and everything. So, uh, no stickers on anybody, but
just I don't know. I feel bad for people who have to live down there. Yeah. Uh, but I, you know, this year we finally got the complaints. No one everybody else kind of like tolerates it for a little while, but Um I don't I don't remember thinking the Bayside was
real packed that night. Probably true. Couple of nights that that whole field was full. Yeah. Yeah. Well, when the weather's real nice tonight, it'll be full for sure. Uh but anyway, that I'm going to make a motion that we recommend the lightman to
to close the beach at specified time that we consult with the police if they're in Sure. I'll second that. Okay. Mhm. All in favor? Right. Right. And the beach I mean technically is closed at 8.
At 8 or like putting up hard to enforce that they put up uh a saw horse. So you can't park here cuz you didn't pick up and you made a mess of the place. They've they've ruined it for people who, you know, and
I know a lot of people who especially on nights like this when it's, you know, gets cooled down, they just want to sit there and watch whatever, you know, and it's, you know, 20° cooler down there than it is up here. And Mhm. Uh, but fourth of I mean, it's one or maybe two nights depending on the weather cuz if it rains on the 4th of
July, you don't have to worry. So, we'll do it on the 5th. The 3rd, they couldn't do it cuz we had that mini tornado come through. Mhm. Uh, so nobody was around the beach, oddly enough. Uh, but And did you close that day?
Sorry. 3rd of July when that 3rd or the sixth? The 3rd. When that storm came through. What gate? Did you close the beach? We had a windstorm that came through. If it was thundering and lightning, I can't remember off the top of my head.
But probably. Yes. I literally I probably did. Yeah. I literally left to go close up the beach and you couldn't close the gates. It was so windy. You couldn't put the two gates together. The parking lot was like a tornado. It was like all different. You couldn't see TNT. And all the sailboats
under the yach club were boom boom boom boom. And it was bad. And people were pulling in to go look at the beach. Yeah. While I was locking up. Amazing. Anyway, uh um one other question in the emails, uh
I believe was when there is trash or so much of trash like at 4th of July, whose responsibility is it to pick it up? Now, obviously community members should pick up their own trash, but if there's something like that, is that the highway department's responsibility? The highway department typically would
do Chris don't it. It's just a weird thing cuz obviously they don't work on Saturdays. So, the 5th was a Saturday. Yeah. Yeah. So, you weren't going to see anything happen till Monday, right? And that's when basically things started happening. But unfortunately, that's after everybody goes down there and sees what's going on. Not that that was a bad thing. Do you know if they did do it on Monday
then? Yes, they did. Oh, that's great. Okay. So, and then she sent an email like the day after they did it and somebody shot off fireworks like again and they left left him there against on the road. Yes. And I believe the town administrator went on his lunch hour to go pick
Yeah. And it's like, you know, he's like Chris doesn't go by there on a regular basis. He doesn't know. He more than happy. He volunteered to send guys down there to pick it up and they did. That's good. But, you know, on any given night there's going to be trash. Somebody's going to leave trash. Sure. But, I mean, that was extraordinary that
whole weekend. Yes. Yes. It was a little bit above and beyond Call of Duty. Uh, all right. Uh, regarding East Beach, anybody? Okay. Uh,
I think that's We don't have a town clerk report. I forgot to call Carla and ask how many stickers we were up to. We're probably in the high 3000s now. I've seen some probably it's probably peaking as we think.
Uh parking lot closure issues. I've had a number of them this year. Like I said, people have broken out. People have cut. Uh it's some reason this year more than others. And I last night both people had stickers. Mhm. And one of them came out and it's like,
"Well, what time does it close?" Mhm. Yeah. You look around any signs and it's like, "Why have we been here at 11:30?" I said, "You haven't been here at 11:30." You know, anyway, because the neighbors have been complaining. They they took down that section of fence and they had
a little bonfire. Uh the Mullins and Coopers, they they jumped over the fence and went over there. Uh, so it's been for some reason it's been a bad year. I don't know what the it's something in the water or whatever the case may be. Uh,
is that section of bad fence going to be replaced in the next school or this this techn the the company to come back and do it cuz they replaced the wrong section of fence up there. They were supposed to replace that section. They replaced the good section that's further away. Oh no. It was even painted and I said it's
painted. Replace this section. You know, it's painted on the bottom orange like from here to here. replaced and they placed the wrong section. So, they're going to come back and do it. I know it's their busy season and everything like that, but we've been waiting months now. And so, do you want me to call them to ask? I can. That's Do you know you know Paul?
Oh, yeah. Yeah. If If you would if you can't do it, I can get somebody to do it. I I can call but do you want it replaced like now or as soon as we can? As soon as we can. Okay. No reason. As soon as I mean I I asked for as soon as we can back in May and here we are in
July. you know, because I knew that was going to happen. Do they pull their truck right back there when they're repairing it? Yeah, it won't take them long. It's probably a 44 section offense. I mean, I don't I might take a couple hours to fix it. And do you need another quote for that or do you know the
We had a quote. We had a quote. We approved it. It was approved by Jim. We're okay. We're just waiting. Like I said, I can get another fence company to go in there and do it. I at this point I was going to call call them and say, "You can't do it. You can't do it." But we done. Yeah. We'll just try and get an estimate of when they can do it because there's a lot of crossing over
lying down. I'll follow up on that. No problem. Uh I think that's it as far as that. I think that's all we need from you guys. Uh no problems. All the lifeguards are here for another month easily. Yeah, we're back to full schedule.
Everything's uh uh Mhm. I don't think anything else. All the equipment. We have all the equipment. equipment's good. We had the AED uh uh actually the motherboard uh like go on us in the beginning of the year. So, a new AED was purchased. Um
besides that, equipment's functioning and it's good to go. Great. So, we're all good. We have all Do we have all the clothes we ordered or did you Okay, we're all good. We have everything, right? Surprising. It's only mid It's only mid
July, but still surprising. Uh, and all the guards going to be here till Labor Day, right? Pretty sure. Okay. Yeah. It's going to start waning a little bit now. I don't know if it stays this hot, you'll get some crowds, but it's going to people will be beached out and hopefully
August. No problem. We still have a couple reports. Did you see the reports from Ottabon? Not the most recent. It was one it this says the same thing every time. And I don't know what you do, but you know, this nest has failed. this nest. You know,
I know the nest closest to uh tower 2 uh failed. I'm in contact with them regularly, the Ottabon Society, and they said that uh the four hatchlings um are deemed as lost because they uh suspect ghost crabs got to them. So,
but they they mentioned dogs and I know you chase dogs off the beach, particularly one gentle, there's two people in the morning that run dogs. You you caught one of them. Uh there's another one who goes there on a regular basis. I haven't seen him as of until that one day. I haven't seen him back.
Yeah, he he's again he doesn't have a sticker and he was working on one of the houses and stuff and everything. So, uh he may not be another gentleman who's warding his dog down. Since that incident, I haven't seen any dogs on the beach. So, well, they know to get they know you're
there and now they get off by E. But that doesn't stop Ottabbon from Yeah. you know, uh probably the worst time when they're there when the birds are. Anyway, but I think everything else is going well as far as that. Great. Uh, like you said,
seaweed, has that been a problem? Probably now. Um, it wasn't it was it was Yeah, this today was really bad with seaweed, but it was in the beginning of the year, but it kind of cycled itself out. Um, has been was still not as bad as the first
year I was here. The It's a little worse than the second year. Um, but not too bad. So that's a good thing. And we don't do anything with the seaweed. We don't break it. You're not supposed to do with it. That's what you can hand rake it and put it into and you can put them in five gallon buckets and I have to make an
appointment basically for the Autobon Society to come down and I've talked to them about it. So I mean it hasn't been as that bad. So I really haven't had to do anything. Been terrible at the harbor for the last year. Well, Gooseberry and the wind is the wind has been just south everything.
Yeah. Yeah. Gooseberry is loaded with it. There's probably four ft of it on one side of you know the the ruins along Beach Avenue. Everybody's now referring to it as Pompei. Yeah. And apparently the the weeds are like that. Wow. Yeah. And that's the way it is at
Gooseberry. It's like I'm walking on it and you go squish squish squish. And uh got to get people gathering seaweed again. Yeah. Clam bakes. Yeah. Okay. Well, I think that's all we need. Thanks for coming. Thanks for being here.
Thank you. Mhm. Thank you. Do you know when your next meeting will be in August? Third week in Unless Unless we need to meet third week in August. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. I didn't hear from anybody that they couldn't come. So, and I and I you know, if you can't come, I if he you and
usually Woody tells me and you tell me. Yeah. I didn't realize Joel and Leon weren't coming. That it's always concern if you don't have a quorum. Well, I know that some sometimes if I if I go up to the camp in Ontario for a week, right?
You know, I I don't even take a computer or anything. Yeah. You know, I just forget it. You know, I wouldn't even know that there's one's I'd assume that there's one scheduled, but I wouldn't actually No, I mean, and you never know when going on because like no one was in Utah
for 2 weeks and everything and so we know, you know, I just want to make sure we have a quorum. There's nothing worse than showing up not having a quorum. Yeah. We have to make some kind of executive command decision. So, let's go to the minutes. Uh May 15th. Okay.
You weren't here. Uh there's one that Yeah, I'll vote. We can't vote on it cuz we don't have three people. So, we'll take those. Okay. So, we'll go with June 4th. Uh okay. Make a motion to approve as
written. Let's see. Funding. Second. Second. All in favor? I. Okay. We'll table the other ones. Uh any unanticipated issues? Any issues?
Anything you've heard? Any No, I haven't heard any complaints. I've gotten a few phone calls of people locked in and I've just told them unfortunately those are the rules. You'll have to contact the police department. Um I I know that the uh police department did reach out. I did
speak with them at some point regarding um the issue that we have discussed. Um and uh yeah, I said no, no, don't. And by no means no one lets anybody out of the beach that at 10:00 at night on a Sunday, what are you doing at the beach?
Yep. Yeah. Yeah. And when you don't have a sticker. Yeah. And also uh the camera um that issue. So, um, they have a camera down there just so everybody knows. Um, yeah, but they wanted to discuss that with us. Okay. So,
yeah, we have to do something about that. Uh, like I said, I blocked an inordinate amount of people and one gentleman three particular times. Yeah. So, we sent an email basically I had Dana sent an email from the beach committee saying
if it happens again it will be disciplinary action against not just your sticker but everybody in your household will not be able to get a sticker because it's it's and again I go down there at 8:30 and it takes me 15 minutes I walk you know hasn't been a big
problem on the AV beach and I start on the fourth bay and I'm looking I wait I wait for whoever's in the last bay I wait for them I look around do a quick little search up the path to make sure they're not right there. Sure. But if you walk down the end of the path and look down the beach, you don't see anybody. It's like Yeah. It's a lot of work for you. I
mean, it's it's kind of a pain in the neck, actually. Yeah. It really It really is because when there's nobody there, it's fine. It takes 5 minutes. Bang, bang, bang. Lock up. Well, did were you talking about some kind of an automatic gate? Yeah.
Is there a way that that could be operated remotely? Yeah. Well, the internet. You can go on the internet. So, you got you'd have to have a big siren. Yeah. Yeah. Well, that's that's what somebody suggested. Shouldn't you let people know? And it's like a
science. The science. I mean, what am I supposed to do? But a if you have an automatic gate that's remote, you would actually almost need to have a siren go off.
Yeah. And if you had a loud one, then people on the beach might hear it. I wonder if you could do something like like at the end like on the fence at the end, you know, run some kind of remote little siren or solar power thing that would just Well, the same it' be the same siren. Yeah. Yeah. But I mean flash, you need a
flashing light cuz you run a siren and nobody be like, "Was that what that was?" You know, cuz we could have them towed and then they could pick him up at a This one particular person I am a little frustrated with needs to be towed. Yeah.
You know, or needs to be banned or something because it's it's a lot of work for you, you know, going down there and then having to walk down to the beach, tell everyone everything. Oh, yeah. I was explaining to the people last night who Westport resident, this is what the problem is. You explain to them everything that's going on down
there. You know, people trying to steal the lifeguard chairs and tipping over the portage John and everything that happens. And it's like it's worse than it's ever been in you have to close at 8:00. You know, like I said, if it's sunny night, I usually go down later. Last couple nights cuz it was pretty
much overcast and there's no sun. There was nothing. Yeah. But they're still out there. Yeah. It seems like whether we lock the gates or not, whoever's going down there is going to go down there anyway. Uh, so you can't, you know, you can't stop them, but we can't encourage it. It's almost like it was about quarter 9 and I was letting these people out and I was talking to
them about it. And people were coming to go in. Yeah. Yeah. And I said, watch this cuz I saw the plate. It was like a Rhode Island plate. And they stop and they they're looking and they're looking like they said, I'll leave it open, see if they go in. And then they realize, oh no, and they turn around, they go back.
And it's I don't understand the cuz horse neck's closed. I'm going by horse neck's closed. He's closed. guys standing at the gate and Gooseberry closed down. They go out and run everybody off Gooseberry. Yeah, I think East Beach uh I don't know if Jim wants me to go to
the meeting or anything and discuss our recommendation and we can talk to the police chief. I think it's the only way to solve that problem. Yeah, I think if you close the beach and put some saw horses then people couldn't go. You saw the things that I saw when I turned the corner. I could not believe what was going on.
It was like it was like a street festival. Literally, you know, you you had you had you couldn't drive through there. It took you forever to drive through there. And you know, nobody's paying attention. Everybody's drinking, of course. And then, you know, the fireworks, you know, just bottle rockets. Well, when was the last time the town
ever did fireworks anywhere? Years ago. Yeah. That's they used to do it off horse neck. Well, they they tried Gooseberry for a couple of years, but they had to stop because the clovers. They can't shoot off the fireworks because of the clovers. So, it's July 4th in the middle of nesting season. So,
you're not supposed to do that. You're not supposed to shoot them off in East Beach either for the same reason. Uh, it's been years cuz they did them on the beach for a couple years. This has got to be going back 30 years ago. Well, that's the last time. Yeah, I can remember anything. No, but there's no
need a firework barge. Well, somebody suggested the old high school. Yeah. Yep. You know, because you get a lot of parking there, you know, on the fields and everything and you could location. You don't remember because you're too young, but they used to shut them off the at the head.
Yeah. At the fairgrounds at the head. Okay. The old fairgrounds. The one right behind the waterershed. Oh. When I was younger, that's where they used to shoot. And they used to park. You'd park all the way up county road, drift roads, and boats would be pulling there and everything. And uh you know,
but I mean you can't do it because so there's no real safe place to do it. Sure. You know, and that's part of the problem. There's like Dartmouth doesn't do it. Westport doesn't. So people private I mean the I don't spends all the money on East Beach. Yeah.
But it goes on for an hour. That's why people go down there and it's like a safe zone. No one Yeah. But I think that's really like uh more of a public safety than a beach committee issue. Well, I'm looking at it and I'm watching people shoot off fireworks, you know,
and this cars and people and it's like one of those things explodes. Yeah. This is going to be like an, you know, an atomic bomb. Well, we we'd go to we we always had a there was a friend of ours that used to have a party and fireworks and a lot of fireworks and he had a float in the river floated
out and there was this one guy name was Eric and Eric was the guy who lit him off and it was more fun to watch Eric than it was to watch the fireworks because you know he he'd light his shoe on fire and put his foot in the river
and put out his shoe. It was hysterical. all night long dangerous and down the road, you know. I'm surprised he didn't kill himself. Well, that's that's one of my concern is what happens if somebody blows themselves up. Yeah. Won't be good. Yeah. On a town property on beach property.
Yeah. It's I get because for a while it was just a couple people and then it just got now it's gotten so everybody's I mean they're packed in like sardines something. there is an inch to park on, you know, and it's a shame they don't pick up after themselves because I'm willing to bet if
they were respectful, you know, to some degree, then that's I don't cuz I don't think, you know, the guys Somebody said, "Well, maybe it's the people on East Beach that are bringing a jump in the parking lot." I said, I don't think it's the case. I know there's people cuz you see a couple of trucks sitting there like at 7:00 like you know you'll see a couple of
truck guys just sitting in trucks just waiting and then loaded up and they're just going to you know line them up on the beach and shoot them off. Yeah. And everybody's there to see that and then the tables out there and it was it was
it was like street festival. It was unbelievable. Anyway, uh after that uh I don't think there's anything else. Uh, we need to discuss. How's Beach Avenue been? I haven't been down all summer. Haven't been good. Yeah, they um I I just remember a couple
years ago there was a some some you know dooodter had put a big trash barrel out there. Oh, yeah. That's a bad move. And then it would have been there for maybe not even a week. And I went out and I had to get my grandson, you know, the 18-year-old
Yeah. uh fullback. And uh it was the grossest thing I've ever had to do. Yeah. We we just took took the whole thing away. Yeah. Well, every time I walk down and look at, you know, so never never do that. Yeah. People stuffing things next to Poor John. I saw the Porter John guy
yesterday morning. I was opening up and I asked, but it's been pretty it's been good. I don't know whether it's the land trust or the highway. Well, I I noticed that. I haven't seen like as many people fishing as like usually, especially Fourth of July weekend. They've been there, but they but not but I don't think they're the
ones who leave the trash. I believe I think the harbor master and yeah I I haven't seen as many as it used to be like especially Fourth of July weekend there was just I usually hide and I still don't know how they get there they my guess is their land they have to
be like landscapers or somebody and they've got permission to park in somebody's driveway or somebody's or somebody leaves them off Yeah. Yeah. Well, I mean but where do they park? They go all the way back. They go home. Yeah. They leave them off and leave. Pick them up a few hours later. Yeah, cuz it's I I have no idea how they get
there. That's a problem, too. I noticed that when I went down the other day, the number of people waiting out on the road. Yeah. For people to pick them up at Cherry Web. Yeah. It was like a bus stop, you know, and they got all this crap with them and here goes mom and dad and it's like
I mean, it was just like, you know, 20 people standing out there with coolers, you know, waiting for like literally waiting for a bus to come. Yeah. Well, that's summer. It's a way to do it. You got to do it. Yeah. I I haven't heard of any real bad problems. The only day I saw the double
row was Fourth of July. Yeah, the double row and Kitty Beats going down. I don't know how people get in and out of the parking lot when they do that, but everybody seems to be pretty respectful. Yeah, I think people are by and large happy about the parking lot. Well, we got 15 extra spaces that have
made a hell of a lot of difference, but it still, you know, it helps. I think it's, you know, on a hot day when they're back in there. Yeah. I mean, fourth the fourth of July weekend was just spectacular weather weekend. The best weekend so far. And
which is not a bad thing, but yeah, by Woods Farm stand on uh Saturday uh no Sunday at like 12:00. Yeah. And it was packed at 12:00 and it was like I told my wife, "We're not going for ice cream."
All right. All right. Make a motion to journ. Second. All in favor? Second. I All right. Thank you. Thank you for coming