[Summering]

Originally Posted by ytlh

This may be the case on other parts of the east coast but there are lots of parts of the country that manage just fine without exorbitant beach fees. Generally a lot more people there manage to enjoy the beach resources. I find these fees to be a real negative for the region; it gives off an extremely unfriendly feel.

Let me say that when Seaside Park, NJ started charging $15.00 to park in the usual places that use to be $5 and under....We left.
Because add that fee to the cost of "Paying" for each of us to get on the beach!
So we headed further south in NJ and went to Wildwood. We loved that we could park for free .( I think meters are there now) We also loved that the beaches there were "free."

It was a wonderful sense of freedom. It added to our joy of visiting. Your right it was an unfriendly feeling to have to pay all those costs to have what nature left us freely to enjoy.

[retiree2011]

Up till 2 years ago, Lighthouse was affordable for people who did not live in New Haven, free for residents of New Haven. Some people who did not live in New Haven used to park outside the park and walk in (all right, since the $20 was a parking fee). Two years ago, the daily charge went up to $20, $30 for out of state drivers. You cannot park on streets near the park without a resident parking permit for that neighborhood, even if you live in a house right outside the park. They charge for that permit, too. I went there one day late in the Fall and a park worker in a golf cart was gabbing with another park worker. Since it was late October, I was sure there was no parking charge (usually charge from Memorial Day weekend till Labor Day). I was getting out of my car, just to take a walk, and the man in the golf cart came over screaming at me that he was calling the police since I did not pay the $20 entry charge. I told him no problem I would just leave (who would pay $20 in late October with no park services available - i.e., lifeguards, restrooms, concession stand). I went home and called the Mayor's office to report this rude, abusive worker and have not been back to Lighthouse since.

I do have a tip for people near East Haven. We have a nice, though small beach, and while a parking sticker is required to park in the parking lot there, there is street parking available along Coe Ave. and Cosey Beach Ave. and you can just walk onto the beach. There is a splash pad for small kids and restrooms as well as a restaurant across the street. Summer is short so let's all enjoy it as much as we can!

[bobtn]

Originally Posted by retiree2011

I do have a tip for people near East Haven. We have a nice, though small beach, and while a parking sticker is required to park in the parking lot there, there is street parking available along Coe Ave. and Cosey Beach Ave. and you can just walk onto the beach. There is a splash pad for small kids and restrooms as well as a restaurant across the street. Summer is short so let's all enjoy it as much as we can!

I thought Malloy wanted to promote tourism. $20 or whatever one gets in parking fees per day is chump change that should be forgone, in order to drive hundreds per day in hotel rooms, meals, convenience store sales, rental cars, etc. Why annoy tourists?

[Blazah1080]

What's real crazy is that I was leaving my boat last night, at 530pm and they were still charging people 20 bucks even though the park closed at sunset!

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by retiree2011

I went home and called the Mayor's office to report this rude, abusive worker and have not been back to Lighthouse since.

That's policy. If you illegally park, they call the police. Simple. Just because you broke the rules gives you no right to call and report him or her. My guess is the parks and rec director laughed at your message anyway.

This isn't the Sound, but I remember the day when Oxford and Monroe raised their out of towner beach rates in the early '00s. They were trying to deter families from Ansonia, Derby, Bridgeport and Waterbury, because in the past, garbage has been left, cops have been called, and fights broke out. Since they raised the out of town rates for both parks and launches, these issues have gone down (at least it did when I was on the "in" 10 years ago).

You can blame the scumbags for it. Bottom line.

[Blazah1080]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

That's policy. If you illegally park, they call the police. Simple. Just because you broke the rules gives you no right to call and report him or her. My guess is the parks and rec director laughed at your message anyway.

This isn't the Sound, but I remember the day when Oxford and Monroe raised their out of towner beach rates in the early '00s. They were trying to deter families from Ansonia, Derby, Bridgeport and Waterbury, because in the past, garbage has been left, cops have been called, and fights broke out. Since they raised the out of town rates for both parks and launches, these issues have gone down (at least it did when I was on the "in" 10 years ago).

You can blame the scumbags for it. Bottom line.

I totally get that. What I don't get is paying 800 bucks for a boat slip at a city park and not getting a visitor pass.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Blazah1080

I totally get that. What I don't get is paying 800 bucks for a boat slip at a city park and not getting a visitor pass.

I get that. I wouldn't be happy.

[poodlecamper]

North Carolina-----purposelly (sp?) established an open shoreline policy so ALL could have access to and enjoy the water. Free and plentiful parking, beautiful beaches. Drove from here to there with the 4 kids every summer. I grew up swimming in the Sound, but it is yuck now. PA, gorgeous State parks----and NO entrance fee---also camping with hook-ups, and reasonably priced.----boy that really surprised us the first time. I think it's reprehensible that the "richest state" can't provide recreation areas for free to its residents, or decent, clean, camping areas. South Carolina---buy a yearly pass for $50, unlimited access to parks and the ocean. WITH clean dressing and picnic areas available.That really irks me about this state. OK I'm done

[willow wind]

Here we go with apples and oranges. Those gorgeous beaches in NC, for example, are mostly not locally owned and maintained. The great majority of them are a combo of state and national effort.

CT beaches for the most part are owned by individual towns. NC is on a county system, wherein there is a town and tons of unincorporated land out side of the immediate town. State and federal purchases of that unincorporated land enabled the development of large public beaches and national sea shores.

In CT virtually every iota of land is owned by a town. There is nothing left for the state or federal government to purchase outside of the minimal number of ocean front parks it already owns.

A season pass, which will get you into any CT state beach or park is only $ 67 per year- and a season pass is free to people over the age of 65.

Those beaches in NC are not " free" . You may not feel like you are paying but they are maintained by state and federal dollars.

And there lies the difference. When the state & feds pay, the cost of the beach is spread out over many millions of people. When a town is paying for upkeep and liability, the costs are the burden of the tax payers of the
town.

That's why the state can charge $ 67 for a season pass and local towns want $20-40 a day.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by poodlecamper

North Carolina-----purposelly (sp?) established an open shoreline policy so ALL could have access to and enjoy the water. Free and plentiful parking, beautiful beaches. Drove from here to there with the 4 kids every summer. I grew up swimming in the Sound, but it is yuck now. PA, gorgeous State parks----and NO entrance fee---also camping with hook-ups, and reasonably priced.----boy that really surprised us the first time. I think it's reprehensible that the "richest state" can't provide recreation areas for free to its residents, or decent, clean, camping areas. South Carolina---buy a yearly pass for $50, unlimited access to parks and the ocean. WITH clean dressing and picnic areas available.That really irks me about this state. OK I'm done

Long Island Sound is cleaner now than it was 20 years ago. Unless you are like 100 years old, I doubt it really was cleaner. You just did not know any better. Jay