BRISTOL — Residents and guests going to the beach this summer will be facing tougher enforcement of the town’s parking regulations.
For the last few years, town officials have been fielding complaints about nearby residents taking beach parking spaces and leaving their vehicles there all day. Yet, dealing with violations could be difficult and police were not always able to respond when they were dealing with more serious problems.
Selectmen last year discussed placing meters or kiosks to control parking, or issuing plaques that could be shared among family members, but they ultimately took no action. This year, they have adopted new beach regulations and plan to have the police department deputize a beach attendant to have the authority to fine violators.
At the selectmen’s first meeting in May, Town Administrator Nik Coates reported on the results of a staff roundtable at which officials discussed their options and settled on recommendations to make this year a little smoother on beach days, with a focus on making sure the parking is used by beachgoers only.
The four beach attendants will be adults, rather than relying on younger people, and they will be prepared to “take a hard line” on violators, who would face an $80 fine for misuse of the parking.
The new policy extends the “no pet” ordinance for the beach year-round, although it will only be enforced during the eight weeks of summer when the beaches are staffed. Instead of starting the summer beach parking regulations on Memorial Day, they won’t begin until June 15 when the beaches are actually staffed.
Although they discussed using this year to warn people before implementing the tougher regulations, Selectman J.P. Morrison said they have discussed it long enough. “I don’t want to keep putting this off,” he said.
In other business, selectmen approved a new assessing contract with Commerford Nieder Perkins, LLC, which was chosen over two competitors, Corcoran Consulting Associates and Cross Country Appraisals, even though they came in with lower bids. Christina Goodwin, the town’s assessing manager, said the bidders were not consistent in what they offered, making a determination difficult, but she recommended staying with Commerford, which has provided good service in the past. She was especially impressed with how well Jim Commorford was able to explain the complexities of property valuation to residents.
Selectmen also approved the purchase of new laptops for the police department at a cost of $29,000 after applying a grant that the department had received to allow it to phase out the old ones.
Selectman Rick Alpers noted that, because all of the bids on the town office project came in over budget, they had to scale back on what they planned to accomplish. Construction costs have risen 7 percent since Town Meeting, but he said he expected to have “a more definitive number” by the May 16 meeting.
“If we achieve savings on the project, we can add things back in,” he said.
The town is planning to renovate the former Newfound Family Practice building to accommodate town offices, which will free up space in the Bristol Municipal Building for the police department.
