Project manager recommends priorities for Nahant beach

NAHANT – Ron Headrick, the project manager of the master plan for improvements to make to Short Beach, recommended that the beach?s sand dunes remain a first priority at a Planning Board meeting Tuesday.Headrick said the sand dunes are what keep the beach from flooding Nahant Road and should therefore have a fenced boundary protecting them from beach-goers. He also suggested planting more vegetation on the south side of the beach to keep the sand from the dunes in place, and less aggressive mowing on the lawn between the road and the dunes.Headrick said the plan was to keep “a balance between the recreation and natural needs ? but high priority needs to be given to the dunes themselves.”Headrick said the plan would address the parking and drop-off issues at Short Beach, but there would be no cutting into the beachside sidewalk. “Nahant Road has a lot of inherent beauty, and we don?t want to disturb that,” he said. He also mentioned putting in a four foot wide bike lane on that road.Planning Board Chairman Richard Snyder said the recommendations would be moving to public forums to put together a definite plan of action for Short Beach and the Coast Guard Station next year.Kait Taylor can be reached at [email protected].