Wilmington May Need To Raise Nonresident Beach Fees To Cap Rec Department Deficit

WILMINGTON, MA -- Wilmington officials are considering raising the rate nonresidents pay to use the town beach on Silver Week in order to keep it free for residents. The beach ran a deficit of $20,632 this year, the highest in at least five years. Additionally, a statewide shortage on lifeguards means Wilmington may be forced to more frequently cap the number of swimmers using a beach on the hottest day of the summer.

The beach is free for residents. Nonresidents can but a daily use pass for $10. But that fee is not enough to cover the deficit, which is absorbed by the Recreation Department. In a presentation to selectmen Monday night, Recreation Director Karen Campbell attributed the deficit to a variety of reasons, including three consecutive yearly raises in the state minimum wage and fewer good weather days meaning fewer nonresident passes sold.

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Wilmington started charging the daily nonresident fee in 2014 after a summer when "all the problems came to a head," Campbell said. She outlined scenarios where trash accumulated, lifeguards were overworked and police were called to the beach. She said residents had complimented the department on the improved conditions at the beach since the fee was put in place.

Lifeguards were paid $13 per hour in 2017 and they are hard to come by: the uncertain working hours means many guards would rather take a lower-paying job with steadier hours. That has created a statewide shortage of lifeguards. Campbell said the town had to be aggressive in recruiting to hire 14 guards for this year.

Selectmen took no action after Campbell's proposal. Town Manager Hull suggested the board take it up at a future meeting. Any fee increase would have to be approved by selectmen.

Selectmen made it clear they do not want to charge a fee for residents to use the beach. But they also worried that the $10 fee for nonresidents may be too expensive and asked if it not offering nonresidents offer some sort of season pass for nonresidents could present a hardship for some families. Selectman Gregory Bendel presented a scenario where a grandmother who lives in Tewksbury and watches the kids on weekdays would not be able to bring those children to the beach with incurring a $10 fee.

"It's hard to come up with a system that can't be co-opted," Campbell said. Increased nonresidents "means a need for more lifeguards and raises the question of who where will we find them and who will pay for them.

Town manager Jeffrey Hull said he was agreement with Campbell. "There's no question that the beach situation today is much different than it was three or four years ago...there were just constant issues," he said. "I think it's been working. Unfortunately it's one of those circumstances where no matter what steps are taken there's going to be an element of folks who feel they are being treated unfairly."

Patch file photo.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).