ITEM FILE PHOTO
BY GAYLA CAWLEY
SWAMPSCOTT — Don’t light those beach fires just yet.
The cooking fires for Phillips and Fisherman’s beaches, approved last week by the Board of Selectmen, will have to wait until the Conservation Commission gives the green light.
Installation of the fire pits was scheduled for this week by Gino Cresta, Department of Public Works director. But that’s been delayed until mid-July after the commission holds a public hearing.
Tonia Bandrowicz, conservation commission member, said the town has been asked to seek approval to place the fire pits on the beach from the panel at its July 14th meeting.
Town Planner Peter Kane said beach fires fall under the wetlands protection act, and might require a review by the commission before the pits can be installed.
“Right now, the town is trying to determine if that review is needed,” Kane said.
The cooking fires are a loophole in the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) regulations, which limits burning from Jan. 15 to May 1. Outdoor cooking is allowed year-round and is not subject to open burning limits, according to state law.
If and when the fire pits are installed, residents who want to enjoy a beach fire will need a permit from the Swampscott Fire Prevention Bureau and pay a $50 deposit. Once permission is granted, a placard will be given to mark their fire. If they leave a clean area after their event, the deposit will be returned. The fire must be attended to at all times by an adult who lives in town. Only six permits can be issued per day, matching the number of fire pits.
Swampscott Fire Chief Kevin Breen said the department has been issuing beach cooking permits for about a decade. But two years ago, he said there were so many fires and people leaving debris behind that the department just decided to stop them.
Breen said that protocol remains in place until the conservation commission makes its decision.
“We’re not able to issue any permits and we’re enforcing no fires on the beach,” he said.
Breen said people are lighting fires illegally already and it’s stirring up the opponents. Residents have voiced concerns over the fire pits detracting from the natural beauty of the beaches and the health-related issues the blazes could cause.
Breen said the illegal fires are mostly on Phillips Beach and people are having them without permits. He said the department is going to have to step up enforcement and stop all fires. The fire and police departments have been patrolling Phillips and Fisherman’s beaches randomly attempting to intercept the fires and telling people to put them out. But there is simply not enough staff to watch the beaches all night long, he added.
“Those patrols leave and I suspect people are lighting up fires again,” Breen said. “By having a process, hopefully, it will bring some order to the chaos going on.”
Cresta could not be reached for comment.
Gayla Cawley can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @GaylaCawley.
