I chose this time period because it is the time period referenced in two BOS meetings as that which was provided by the Police Department, and which was used to justify the Director of Parks & Recreation's recommendation to either close the beach or to hire an attendant to be there at any time the beach is open.
So, you agree, a longer timeframe would probably show that people break the rules year round, not just May through December. It may be helpful to see that it would or would not matter if an attendant was there.
I would rather see my tax dollars be used to support swimming lessons rather than a gate keeper. Hire a swim instructor, and a lifeguard if necessary. Historically that was always the best use of the beach, and it also created some lasting community relationships.
The only place to park near the intersection of Flutter Street and Deerfield Road is on the shoulder of either road. Isn’t there a Right of Way from the center of roads of 25 feet? This would seem to make road shoulders legal parking. Why were the PD called to that? What action was taken in this incident?
People frequently park near this intersection to fish at the bridge located there. Or they park and train on the steep hill of Deerfield Road, walking, running, biking or even cross country skiing training. Some hunt unposted land accessible from the intersection parking.
A common occurrence by my observation over 40 years. I have frequently parked a school bus there and never had an issue or complaint.
You CAN NOT BLOCK THE BEACH GATE as it is an emergency access to the lake for water rescue, I believe.
Thank you. Just saying there is no place to park really that is much more than road shoulders
200 feet in every direction from the intersection. Which causes me to question if the call was a frivolous attempt to garner sympathy about ‘trespassers’ that weren’t really.
Thank you Doug! You are doing amazing reporting. It’s a blessing to Nottingham; so important.
How can I reach you privately about your investigation?
If you click on my name just above, you'll see a button that says "message". Click that and you can send me a private message.
I double checked the report you mention. The call in says parked on private property. The police investigation found the cars on the shoulder. So, you're right about that. The police looked for trespassers, but did not find anyone trespassing.
The police report says it was on private property - presumably not on the shoulder of the road. The report says that the plate numbers were looked up and that the police phoned the owners, but did not make contact.
Thanks for getting the police records of the 21 beach incidents. Is the BOS actually going to say that we have an issue with the beach based on those reports?
Although I am not asking to make more work for the PD, wouldn’t a more accurate picture be up until your request was made?
Yes, more data would improve accuracy.
I chose this time period because it is the time period referenced in two BOS meetings as that which was provided by the Police Department, and which was used to justify the Director of Parks & Recreation's recommendation to either close the beach or to hire an attendant to be there at any time the beach is open.
So, you agree, a longer timeframe would probably show that people break the rules year round, not just May through December. It may be helpful to see that it would or would not matter if an attendant was there.
The data are from Jan 1, 2024 to Dec 31, 2024. It's year-round data.
The new set of rules were put in place in May of last year.
Thank you for the summary! Super insightful as always
I would rather see my tax dollars be used to support swimming lessons rather than a gate keeper. Hire a swim instructor, and a lifeguard if necessary. Historically that was always the best use of the beach, and it also created some lasting community relationships.
The Recreation Department has said that it has been unable to hire a lifeguard for the amount the town has been willing to pay for.
The only place to park near the intersection of Flutter Street and Deerfield Road is on the shoulder of either road. Isn’t there a Right of Way from the center of roads of 25 feet? This would seem to make road shoulders legal parking. Why were the PD called to that? What action was taken in this incident?
People frequently park near this intersection to fish at the bridge located there. Or they park and train on the steep hill of Deerfield Road, walking, running, biking or even cross country skiing training. Some hunt unposted land accessible from the intersection parking.
A common occurrence by my observation over 40 years. I have frequently parked a school bus there and never had an issue or complaint.
You CAN NOT BLOCK THE BEACH GATE as it is an emergency access to the lake for water rescue, I believe.
Thank you. Just saying there is no place to park really that is much more than road shoulders
200 feet in every direction from the intersection. Which causes me to question if the call was a frivolous attempt to garner sympathy about ‘trespassers’ that weren’t really.
Thank you Doug! You are doing amazing reporting. It’s a blessing to Nottingham; so important.
How can I reach you privately about your investigation?
If you click on my name just above, you'll see a button that says "message". Click that and you can send me a private message.
I double checked the report you mention. The call in says parked on private property. The police investigation found the cars on the shoulder. So, you're right about that. The police looked for trespassers, but did not find anyone trespassing.
The police report says it was on private property - presumably not on the shoulder of the road. The report says that the plate numbers were looked up and that the police phoned the owners, but did not make contact.
It is very troubling that Fyfe and Dabrieo repeatedly told us that there were ‘22 to 24’ incidents related to the Nottingham Town Beach.
Where did they get that information?
Was it fed to them?
Did they pull it out of their backsides?
We are witnessing a pattern of misinformation and flat out lies coming from our own select board.
Nottingham cannot sustain this type of behavior from its elected officials.
If they continue to ignore petitions and plea after plea from constituents then what is the next step for everyone who’s fed up with this mess?
Thanks for getting the police records of the 21 beach incidents. Is the BOS actually going to say that we have an issue with the beach based on those reports?
The BOS has already acknowledged that there's an issue.