Bring on the crowds
Local beaches may be the hot (and cheap) summer destination
The economy may have tanked, but business is booming at the region's public beaches.
With the Memorial Day weekend just ahead, shorelines are being spruced up, and bathhouses are getting ready to fling open their doors to beachgoers of all ages. Lifeguards will soon go on duty (in places that can still afford them), while other beaches have to stretch their budgets and make do with less.
Staycation anyone? In a weak economy, more folks are likely to stick close to home, looking for affordable things to do. And since Mother Nature provides sun and surf free of charge (parking lots are another matter), local beaches are expected to be high on people's lists when the weather heats up.
"We're actually preparing for larger crowds," said Duxbury harbormaster Donald C. Beers, who estimates crowds can range from 8,000 to 10,000 on a hot summer weekend. "I've been here 30 years, and I've seen it before. Every time there's a recession, our receipts go up.
"In a better economy, they may have made a trip up to Lake Winnipesaukee," he said. "Now they'll just go to Duxbury Beach."
The beach is in the midst of preparing for the summer crowds. Just last month, the shoreline was noticeably rocky. But according to Beers, this is nature's way of protecting the beach over the winter. Those rocks are disappearing as the wind and currents bring a soft layer of powdery sand to the shoreline, blanketing the rocks.
"We call it 'armoring up,' " said Beers. "In May and June, the beach gets into its spring-summer mode, and most of those rocks are covered with sand."
Onshore, visitors to Duxbury Beach will notice new educational signs have been posted along the beach grass and sand dunes, and a new guard shack is being built at the end of Powder Point Bridge. The bad news is that the cost of parking in a public lot at Duxbury Beach will rise to $15 a day from $10.
Beachgoers who frequent Nantasket Beach in Hull will be relieved to know that the parking fees have not gone up - at least, not yet. As it stands, the state plans to charge $3 per car. But state Representative Garrett J. Bradley has filed legislation to raise Nantasket's parking fee to $13. Bradley, whose district includes Hull, proposes putting the additional $10 into a new fund that would help the town cover beach safety and maintenance costs.
The state plans to continue to offer free parking at Wollaston Beach in Quincy, which recently got a $7 million facelift. The seawalls and sidewalks along Quincy Shore Drive were repaired. Sand was replenished. Parking areas were repaved and landscaped. There's a new playground. New beach ramps.
"The beach has been dramatically improved, not only in terms of beauty, but also in usability," said Neil McCole, president of the Friends of Wollaston Beach. "People use it all year round now. People come out to the nice wall, with a beautiful view."
The Friends of Wollaston Beach, which is run by volunteers, recently won grants to buy educational signs that will be installed along the beach. The organization will kick off the new season by hosting a kite festival at the beach on May 31.
But even the sun and sand aren't immune to the effects of a down economy
Public beaches up and down the coast are making do with tighter budgets. In Wareham, there isn't enough funding to staff Onset Beach with lifeguards.
"We haven't had lifeguards in a few years, because of budget problems," said Wareham harbormaster Michael L. Parola.
Despite those shortcomings, Parola calls Onset Beach "the best all-around beach for families and kids. It's a very large beach. You're in a harbor, so the waters are warm and calm, and you don't have any issues with waves."
There are two bathhouses - one on Onset Town Pier and one on the bluffs - that are open to the public, and several restaurants are within walking distance, he said.
Finances are also pinching the Hingham Bathing Beach, which usually stays open until Labor Day, but may close a week earlier this year "due to money restrictions," said Peter Fee, a member of the board of trustees.
Parking is free for both residents and nonresidents at the bathing beach, which will be staffed by lifeguards when it opens the last week of June. The lifeguards will be on duty for at least six hours a day: "Three hours before high tide and three hours after," explained Fee. "The rest of the time we have no water to swim in. We're restricted by the tides."
The Hingham beach did get a new swimming raft, to replace the old one, which was falling apart. The raft was built in Hull, measures about 12 feet by 12 feet, and will be ready for swimmers next month. And this weekend, the Hingham Farmers Market will kick off its 2009 season. The market is held in the beach parking lot every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., rain or shine.
The beach used to draw bigger crowds, back when swimming pools were few and far between, said Fee. "I don't think a lot of people know it's there," he said. "As people discover it, they find it's a nice asset."
As for this season, Fee said: "We don't really know what to expect."
Scituate is home to five beaches - Egypt, Humarock, Minot, Peggotty, and Sand Hills - but if you're from out of town, getting to them can be tricky. All the beaches are open to the public and staffed by lifeguards, but resident stickers are required at all beach parking lots. Violators are fined $40.
"Parking is tough," said Scituate Harbormaster Mark V. Patterson.
There's no off-street parking near any of the beaches, according to Scituate Recreation Director Jennifer M. Vitelli. The options for nonresidents are: use the public parking on Cole Parkway in Scituate Harbor, and then walk about a mile to Peggotty Beach; park at a friend's house; or ride a bicycle.
Are they expecting big crowds?
"I would think so," said Vitelli. "Perhaps with the economy the way it is, people may be staying close to home." Scituate beaches "are usually pretty full anyway, and we anticipate they will be again this year," she said.
Emily Sweeney can be reached at esweeney@globe.com. 