Beach hearing set for Tuesday at NSCC

LYNN – The Metropolitan Beach Commission will hold a hearing Tuesday, July 16 to solicit public feedback on local beaches, and commissioner Robert Tucker said there is a very good reason why locals should attend.”Because, believe it or not people’s input matters,” he said.The MBC was formed in 2006 by the state legislature to take an in-depth look at the region’s public beaches from Hull to Nahant, Tucker explained. Commission members took input from residents, community leaders and officials, distilled it into a report, “and it was the will of the government to appropriate some money” and then acted on it, he said.Tucker said he and other members of the Friends of Lynn and Nahant Beach testified during the 2006 hearings raising issues about the then-closed Ward Bathhouse, odiferous algae on the beach and no staff on or maintenance of the Department of Conservation and Recreation beaches.Today, Tucker points out, the Ward Bathhouse has been renovated and reopened, algae is removed daily from the beaches, trash is picked up regularly and the beaches are fully staffed with lifeguards.”That’s why people should come out,” he said.Vi Patek, president of SWIM, Safer Waters in Massachusetts, has a conflict the night of the hearing but said other members of her organization will attend.”Remember the suspected cruise ship pollution from last August?” Patek asked. “There is increased numbers of cruise ships in the area and we’re concerned about increased cruise ship pollution.”A cruise liner room tag found among a concentrated amount of sewage washed up on Pond Beach last summer led Nahant officials to believe that the liner may have illegally dumped the debris in nearby waters.Since then Patek said SWIM has done a lot of research on the issue and would like to raise those concerns Tuesday.The MBC hearing will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in room T-302 at North Shore Community College on Broad Street. Commission co-chair Sen. Thomas McGee and state Rep. Kathi-Anne Reinstein will be on hand along with Tucker and Mark Cullinan of Nahant, who also serves on the commission.”I’m looking forward to hearing from the community to find out what they see as gains from the MBC’s work in 2007 and what we can do to help move our beaches from good to great,” McGee said. “We are also excited to be working with Robert and Mark as community members of the commission. Their insight into what the needs of our residents in Lynn and Nahant are is instrumental in moving this process forward.”Tucker said he plans to not only listen but to testify as well.”I know that the state is in tight financial times but I’m concerned that DCR doesn’t lose the level of staffing it has gained,” he said.It would be a big hit for the area if the daily removal of algae was cut or if trash pickup suffered, Tucker said. He also said an increased police presence on the beach at night would be welcome. There have been some incidents of vandalism in the darker areas of beachscape, he said.Tucker said the turnout for the Revere hearing held last month was good and he is expecting the same results Tuesday.”We have an active, well organized Friends group here and I expect the turnout will be equally as good,” he said.Chris Stevens can be reached at [email protected].