EverythingWestport - Westport in Brief, August 11, 2013

Westport in Brief!

EverythingWestport.com

Thursday, August 08, 2013

photos/EverythingWestport.com except as noted

Quick Article Index . . .

Westport Selectmen and Beach Committee move forward with “phase 1” of opening Beach Ave. to vehicular traffic.

Scientists Search for Non-Native Species That Pose Threats to Commonwealth’s Marine Environment.

Westport Selectmen and Beach Committee move forward with “phase 1” of opening Beach Ave. to vehicular traffic.

Selectmen’s meeting on Monday, August 5th was packed with harbor residents.

EverythingWestport.com

Thursday, August 08, 2013

Photos/EverythingWestport.com except as noted

Westport Selectmen and the Beach Committee agree to move forward with “phase 1” of opening Beach Avenue to vehicular traffic.

But controversy still swirls around the town’s plan to open the embattled town road that has been the victim of damaging coastal storms and irate neighbors who are less than thrilled about the road’s opening to public vehicular traffic.

Inset: Finance Committee and CPC member Warren Messier speaks at this week’s selectmen’s meeting, crowded with Harbor residents. Messier suggested something could be done with CPA funds to appraise and possibly purchase a parcel of beachfront land being offered to the town, but “a project proposal would need to come before his board.”

“Beach Avenue is a town road, and the public has the right to use it to access the town-owned beach frontage,” select board vice chairman Richard Spirlet said.

Harbor residents are still concerned about the plan, but are encouraged with the tone of the Beach Committee’s plan to move forward.

“The Beach Committee seems to be trying to do this responsibly,” Acoaxet resident Burt Bryan said at the last Selectmen’s meeting.

“The Beach Committee has met twice in the last three weeks,” committee chairman Tim St. Michel said in a letter to the select board, read by new committee member Leone Farias.

“Beach Ave. has been with us for over 75 years, and we believe that Beach Ave should (be) opened in phases: phase 1 would be opened for 725 feet to accommodate 30 vehicles with valid beach passes.”

There are now approximately 13 beach-permitted parking spaces requiring beach passes on the east side of Acoaxet Street between Atlantic Ave. and the town’s right-of-way to the Atlantic Ocean.

The western boundary of the town-owned land is 1054 feet from the gated entrance to Beach Avenue, and is over a quarter mile to the east of Elephant Rock Beach Club.

Is Acoaxet an environmentally sensitive area?

The Acoaxet shoreline extending west from the Nubble to Atlantic Street has been incorrectly identified by some as a barrier beach.

Also, according to John Berg, Sakonnet landscape manager for The Nature Conservancy (TNC), “The endangered piping plover has not nested there this year, but has nested there in previous years. As for other endangered species, the piping plover is the extent of our work on Acoaxet.”

The Rhode Island Chapter of the Nature Conservancy oversees protection efforts on Acoaxet.

Allens Pond Sanctuary Director, Gina Purtell, said “The piping plover avoids heavily vegetated ground for nesting,” a habitat predominately found at Acoaxet. Open ground, such as that found on Cherry & Webb Beach, allows the piping plover to easily spot predators, of which there are many along the Westport shoreline.

The town already has Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) approval to keep the road clear of sand and debris from storms.

Beach Committee member Leone Farias said the committee proposes a “walk-over, prefabricated bridge” to allow visitors to access the town beach, which would be less intrusive than cutting the native vegetation.”

Beach Committee advocates proceeding cautiously and prudently.

“The town should allow this initial phase to work to everyone’s satisfaction before proceeding any further. Patience and consideration for all is important so that all Westport residents can enjoy Beach Ave.,” St. Michel wrote.

“Whatever we decide upon should be reviewed quarterly and annually to assure environmental, neighborhood and citizen interests are being served as best as possible,” committee member Jeff Bull told selectmen.

“I hope the differences in legal opinions about road maintenance can be resolved gracefully so that beach management and neighborhood communication can proceed effectively,” Bull said.

The Beach Committee recommended the road be opened from 9:00 a.m. to 9 p.m. with morning roadside trash pickup by a Beach Committee employee or contractor.

Closing time in the winter would be earlier, probably a set time to avoid residents’ confusion as to the beaches’ closing time said select board vice chairman Richard Spirlet.

Discussion and negotiation on acquiring the additional 480 feet of beach front for public access will be put on the back burner while this review process is ongoing, selectmen said.

The Town of Westport already has 109 feet of beach adjoining the proposed acquisition (see map below.) Westport acquired its 109-foot lot on June, 19, 1984 from the Trust Real Estate Department in Boston.

Elaine Ostroff, chairwoman of the town’s Commission on Disability, told Selectmen that this could be “the best beach in town” for those with disabilities because it is so close to potential parking places, a real issue at Cherry & Webb Beach where crowded parking, long access distance and heavy sand pose a challenge for the elderly and disabled to use the beach.

In 2011, Westport resident Tom Hancock proposed the town acquire use of state-owned land at the southeastern end of Bridge Road near the Back Eddy Restaurant as a possible third town beach. Hancock said he sees families and seniors (though very few) struggling to go up over the dunes to reach Cherry & Webb Beach.

That proposal died when the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation showed little interest in letting Westport use that section of coastal barrier beach, a part of Horseneck Beach, for private town use as parking would be on protected land.

Click on image to enlarge.

Selectmen are considering the expansion of a third town beach on town-owned land off Beach Avenue.

Opening the controversial road to provide access was prompted by a recent offer from Westport attorney Brian Corey to sell the town a 1.44 acre parcel (map 89, lot 8) that abuts the town’s lot to the west.

The land was purchased by Black Rock Beach LLC for $150,000 on November 16, 2009 from Emile Morad, Jr., who purchased the unbuildable land on June 9, 2004 for $70,000. The town currently assesses the value of the lot at $43,200.

The price is still under negotiation.

If the town agrees to purchase the land, an expanded third town beach consisting of 589 feet of pristine shoreline would be available to the public.

Select board chairman Antone Vieira has suggested Community Preservation Act Funds might be available to purchase the Black Rock Beach land, providing the town could negotiate a fair price.

The Westport Land Conservation Trust has land abutting the town’s lot to the east that stretches to the government-owned Nubble, adding another 500 feet of beachfront available to the public for passive recreational use.

What’s next?

Selectmen have asked the Beach Committee to return to their next meeting armed with a more detailed proposal, particularly addressing bathroom facilities, possible life guards (East Beach currently does not employ life guards), and a turnaround at the end of Beach Avenue, which would require Conservation Commission approval.

Vieira asked Town Administrator Jack Healey to work with Beach Committee members to get the process going on the initial phase of requesting money from CPC to appraise the Black Rock Beach land.

The Beach Committee is next scheduled to meet on Thursday, August 15th, 7:00 p.m. at Town Hall.

Gated entrance to East Beach Avenue.

Permitted beach parking on the east side of Acoaxet Street allows for approximately nine vehicles.

Town landing at the end of Acoaxet Street allows for three permitted parking spaces.

Left: looking east down Beach Avenue from the gate. Right: looking east down Beach Avenue at the road’s first bend.

Taking a walk to the Nubble along the far east end of Beach Avenue.

Looking east towards the Nubble over the town-owned land, a private lot, and Westport Land Conservation Trust land.

Looking west over the 109 feet of town-owned land and the 480 feet of beachfront land being offered to the town by the Black Rock Beach LLC represented by Westport attorney Brian Corey. Concrete remains of seaside cottages destroyed by the hurricane of ’38 can still be seen partially buried in the sand.

Looking east towards the Nubble over the town-owned land, a private lot, and Westport Land Conservation Trust land.

Looking east over the 480 feet of Black Rock Beach LLC land, the 109 feet of town-owned land, and the Westport Land Conservation Trust land. The concrete remains of seaside cottages destroyed by the hurricane of ’38 can still be seen partially buried in the sand on the Black Rock Beach LLC land.

Another easterly view showing the shoreline’s vegetation.

Scientists Search for Non-Native Species That Pose Threats to Commonwealth’s Marine Environment.

F.L. Tripp and Son's boatyard in Westport is one of the local sites scheduled for visits.

EverythingWestport.com

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

On Monday, scientists will begin to scour docks and piers along the Massachusetts coast, from Cape Ann to Cape Cod, searching for and identifying potential invasive species. While some of these introduced marine species will never become established populations, others pose threats to the Commonwealth’s environment, economy and public health.

The inspection of permanent floating docks and rocky shores in Salem, Boston, Marshfield, Sandwich, Bourne, Woods Hole, New Bedford and Westport is coordinated by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sea Grant, a research program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Inset: The fast-spreading Europeans shrimp (shown here is the pool pawn) is of particular concern.

The four-day Massachusetts sweep is part of a six-day regional effort to collect, identify and catalog marine organisms in coastal waters from Maine’s mid-coast to Cape Cod and Rhode Island. Goals of the study include developing a baseline inventory of marine species, identifying species recently introduced to local ecosystems and helping natural resource managers prevent and control future invasions of non-native species. Surveys in 2000, 2003, 2007 and 2010 revealed over 30 introduced marine organisms, several of which were identified for the first time in New England coastal waters.

“Invasive species threaten our native marine ecosystems and present unique challenges for managers of bays, beaches and estuaries; the very places that define the special character of the Massachusetts coast,” said EEA Secretary Richard Sullivan. “This week’s survey will give us the up-to-date information we need to safeguard natural resources along the Commonwealth’s shores.”

Right: Asian shore crab prey on commercially valiable shellfish.

“Factors such as global trade and shipping and increasing temperatures associated with climate change have recently accelerated the spread of new and non-native species into local waters,” said CZM Director Bruce Carlisle. “This rapid assessment survey helps us track changes in the marine ecosystem and build the scientific knowledge needed for the development of effective prevention practices and control methods. I’d like to thank the researchers for their time and expertise under this demanding survey schedule.”

In New England coastal waters, the European green crab and Asian shore crab prey on commercially valuable shellfish, while other invasive species Green crab photo by Hatfield Marine Science Center damage piers and pilings, clog pipes and cause public health problems through disease and pathogens. Of particular concern is the recent discovery of the fast-spreading European shrimp Palaemon elegans along the New England Coast, first discovered in North America in Salem during the 2010 survey. The shrimp can grow to lengths of three inches or more and may prey on and compete with native species.

Inset: European green crabs are voracious predators of native shellfish and crustaceans.

The following is the research schedule for the rapid assessment survey:

August 5 - Hawthorne Cove Marina in Salem

August 6 - Rowes Wharf in Boston, Green Harbor Marina in Marshfield

August 8 - Sandwich Marina in Sandwich, Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Bourne, Coast Guard Station in Woods Hole

August 9 - Pope’s Island Marina in New Bedford and F.L. Tripp and Son’s in Westport

In addition to CZM and the MIT Sea Grant, other organizations participating and providing funds and support for this week’s survey include the Massachusetts Bays Program, Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, Northeast Aquatic Nuisance Species Panel, Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership, Narragansett Bay Estuary Program and Rhode Island Bays, Rivers, and Watersheds Coordination Team. Scientists participating in the project include two CZM staff as well as researchers hailing from the Netherlands, Brazil and the United States.

EverythingWestport.com