New Westbrook Swim Area Bans Jet Skis
Finally, swimmers and boaters at the public Middle Beach will each have their own space. By the end of the month, a new, dedicated swimming area at Middle Beach will separate swimmers from jet skis and boaters, eliminating interactions that could lead to tragedy.
“I must say first of all that we thank the Board of Selectmen for approving the swimming area for us,” said Ann Mazur, president of Middle Beach Association. “This will help keep the children and elderly as well as all of our swimmers safe from any jet skis and boats that come ashore on Middle Beach. We have been needing this for a long time.”
Last summer Mazur explained to the selectmen that jet skis, canoes, and boats all use the same beach and near-shore areas that the Middle Beach swimmers were using. With both swimmers and boaters sharing the same space—and some water craft drivers observed drinking alcohol and therefore, not as alert as they might be to observing swimmers in the water—Mazur and association members wanted to do something to prevent a tragic accident.
For Mazur and the association, the best solution was to establish a dedicated swimming area to clearly separate the two user groups on the public beach.
In August 2014, Mazur brought her idea to the Board of Selectmen. Since navigation markers would have to be installed to mark the swimming area boundary corners, the town would have to apply to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) for a navigation marker permit.
Needed for the application was an assessor’s map and a diagram that shows the longitude and latitude of the designated swimming area markers and the area of the swimming area. Mazur at that time said she had already met with Harbormaster Bruce Lawrence to discuss the proposal and the swimming area’s location and dimensions, and that she would provide all of the information she had to the town for the application.
So then it was up to the Board of Selectmen: should they authorize the first selectman to submit an application to install navigation markers for a new Middle Beach swimming area? In a unanimous vote, they agreed, so the town did submit an application. In fall 2014, DEEP officials, after a field check to confirm measurements, awarded the town the needed permit.
As is typical, this state permit came with special rules the town had to follow. DEEP required that the town use specific styles, weights, and types of buoys and floats for the boundaries of the new Middle Beach swimming area, and when Parks & Recreation Director Rich Annino asked an equipment supplier for a quote to buy these items, he learned the supplies alone would cost $5,000.
So late last month, the Board of Selectmen approved his request for $5,000 to buy the buoys and heavy-duty floats that will define the Middle Beach swimming area. This area, as approved by DEEP, extends 200 feet out from the beach to the swim area’s eastern corner buoy, 250 feet across between the buoys, and 110 feet back to the beach from the westernmost corner buoy.
The buoys and floats should be installed by the town’s Department of Public Works before the end of May, just in time for Memorial Day weekend.
At the end of the summer season, the Public Works Department employees will return to the beach to remove the buoys and safely store them offsite for the winter months.
“We at Middle Beach are very excited about the new swimming area,” said Mazur.