Worcester Planning To Remove Deadly Coes Reservoir Beach

WORCESTER, MA — Worcester Public Works & Parks Commissioner Jay Fink has proposed removing a Coes Reservoir beach that has been the site of three drownings over the past 13 years.

Hillside Beach is located just east of the newly renovated Coes Park. Swimming at the beach isn't allowed, and a row of signs there warns swimmers about a dangerous drop-off near the shore and a lack of lifeguards.

In a memo, Fink called the beach an "attractive nuisance." His proposal will be up for discussion at Tuesday's City Council meeting.

City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. this week said he agrees with the plan to remove the beach. The city held hearings in spring 2019 and in late summer to collect comments from local residents, with some wanting the beach, which is steps from the Lakeside Apartments, to stay.

The beach's location poses a safety problem, Fink said, as there is limited access for first responders. There's also a 5-foot drop about 25 feet offshore, and the water flows toward a spillway that feeds a lower body of water heading toward Park Avenue.

The three drownings at the beach happened in July this year, August 2016 and August 2007, according to Fink. The 2007 drowning took the life of 6-year-old Milan Chapman of Webster.

Fink said in a memo the nearby Binienda Beach is a suitable alternative.

City Councilor Khrystian King asked the parks department to explore improving the beach and making it safer rather than getting rid of it, he told Spectrum1 in November.