Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Now don't get me wrong I have nothing against public beaches. But sometimes the break is pretty big. If I go to Niantic it all looks nice but then there was the vandalism and sometimes they bring loud music...yet if I go to Kokomo in Old Lyme (same town) there's private beaches there with development of full scale resturants and it seems to accommodate much more people. Now technically beach access had a huge increase in volume if it was in a park since now CT license plated cars are free entry so what is it though. Overused or cost more?
I don't want them more privatized. I want more public beaches so more people can enjoy them. The ocean shouldn't be open only to the rich or semi rich. The ocean belongs to everyone. Everyone should be able to enjoy the beauty of nature, the fresh sea air, the wide open ocean views, walking on beaches, swimming in the salt water.
That said, maybe we need more lifeguards or patrols of some sort if there's vandalism going on. There should be some rules about loud music or whatever else we don't want on the beaches but beaches should be assessable to CT residents.
Eh. I'm all for access trust me on that. But it's nice to have some terms that get enforced. If one beach doesn't allow alcohol and the other can sell drinks at $25 and employ more people....
And here in Maryland the State has been trying to increase public access to the water for years.
Where I am there's a cohort that wants to close our public beach because the "wrong people" (the Mayor of the adjoining Town called them "them people" when they closed its public beach earlier this year) come to use it.
It cost me an election, well one reason, when I reminded our residents that if "those people" didn't pay $25 a pop to get on our beach no one would have one, the Town's tax base can't support (well it can if the tax rate is doubled) a Town Residents Only beach.
In Stamford there are public beaches in four parks: Cove Island Park (it has two beaches), Cummings Park, West Beach and Boccuzzi Park.
The ambiance is slightly different in each.
Cummings Park beach (among certain circles they call it "Shippan Beach") gets not so much to vandalism, but it does get people with music in their cars and such (more in the western side or west of the bathroom area vs the east side.) Part of the reason is that the parking lot of the beach is right next to the beach. You can park facing the beach and see it all plus the sound and in the horizon Long Island (visible from all the beaches in Stamford.)
West Beach is another public beach with parking right next to the beach. However, it doesn't attracts what could be considered the rowdiest public in Cummings Beach (that beach isn't rowdy, just the rowdiest of Stamford's public beaches.)
The beaches in Cove Island Park are far from the parking lot and I think this plays a part in reducing what affects Cummings Beach from time to time.
The beach in Boccuzzi Park is the least used of the public beaches. I wouldn't be surprised if most people in Stamford don't know it exist. It's also the smallest of the public beaches.
Kasciousko Park is on the coast by Harbor Point, but it has no beach. Nice view from there of the Stamford Lighthouse.
There are many more beaches along the coast of Stamford, most are private usually belonging to private homes and some to social clubs in which you have to be a member to access those beaches. Other than the crowds as the public beaches can get crowded at times (except in Boccuzzi or at least I have never seen it crowded), nothing else is particularly different between public and private beaches. The sand is basically the same, the sea looks basically the same, a beach is a beach. lol
I don't see the need to privatize any of the public beaches in Stamford.
Btw, West Beach has an extra which is one of the playground in memory of Jesse Lewis (one of the kids murdered in the Newton after he helped classmates to escape prior to the coward resuming.) You can see part of it below and a small tribute at the end. There sre seversl of those playgrounds along the CT coast. This is the only playground that is literally in any of Stamford's beaches.
Now don't get me wrong I have nothing against public beaches. But sometimes the break is pretty big. If I go to Niantic it all looks nice but then there was the vandalism and sometimes they bring loud music...yet if I go to Kokomo in Old Lyme (same town) there's private beaches there with development of full scale resturants and it seems to accommodate much more people. Now technically beach access had a huge increase in volume if it was in a park since now CT license plated cars are free entry so what is it though. Overused or cost more?
Just a side note...Niantic is in the Town of East Lyme. Kokomo is in Old Lyme is a separate town.
I also think there should be more access to the beach. Of course with Rhode Island so close and 50 miles of open beach, I suppose all CT folk have to do is drive a little east.
I say leave things as is and just ban loud music at some of the public beaches to give people more of a choice. In Putnam County, NY there's a state park with a lake beach (Fahnestock State Park) that does this and it does make a difference, less rowdy, etc. On the other side of the Hudson in Harriman State Park is a lake beach called Lake Welch that does not do this and let's just say on weekends if it weren't a lake you might think you were on Orchard or Rockaway Beach in NYC or even Coney Island....
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
