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06/26/2018 04:00 PMThose heading down to spend some time at Jacobs Beach this summer will soon have a new amenity to enjoy. Construction is underway and near completion on a new platform that will give more people places to sit and add some shade to the area.
The platform is part of a multi-phase program of improvements at Jacobs that have taken place over the past several years. The first phase included rebuilding the parking lots and doing some landscaping work, phase two included building a boardwalk that originally stretched from the bath houses to the parking lot and was later extended. This platform marks phase three.
Parks & Recreation Director Rick Maynard said the platform is made of the same durable Ipe wood material as the existing boardwalk and will be about 26’ x 60’ when completed. The project total is about $130,000 and was designed by local architect Will Thompson and built by Coastline Consulting and Development.
The platform is built on a foundation designed to withstand flooding and Maynard said this space will be a positive addition to Jacobs.
“It’s another place people can sit and not be in the sand and be in the shade,” he said. “It’s going to be a nice addition and it is coming together well.”
The plan is to add a canopy type tent over the platform to add more shade on the beach where there is currently very little. The town acquired all the necessary permitting and hopes to have the platform complete in the next week or so.
When Maynard explained the improvement projects to the Board of Selectmen years ago, he said adding assets like a platform and a nice parking lot help draw more people to the area.
“On a typical Saturday or Sunday going back three or four years, there might have been 20 people on the beach, but now if you go there will be 100 people,” he said. “The ambiance down there is just so much nicer—people want to come down. All of the improvements over the last few years have made it more attractive to people.”
During construction, there is a sign posted showing residents what the finished platform will look like and residents are still welcome to use the beach as the weather starts to warm and summer camps get underway.