CALL TO ACTION:
Public beach parking in Scarborough is again on the Town Council agenda, with rate hikes proposed that would create inequity for financially challenged individuals and families, while further entrenching the dangerous, historic 'locals only' perspective that the beach somehow "belongs" to residents of the Town and not to all members of the public, and that the access to beaches should therefore favor locals.
The proposal was tabled on 11/3/21 to be held for further discussion by the council before their December 15, 2021 meeting. See below for the full update and ways YOU can help! Thanks!
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THE ISSUE AT HAND AND OUTCOMES OF THE 11/3/21 PUBLIC HEARING
• On 11/3/21, the Scarborough Town Council held a public hearing to entertain a proposal that would increase beach parking rates as follows:
• The rationale for the rate hikes does not reflect inflation or a need to increase the town budget to care for the beach or amenities. The described intent is to standardize to other Maine beach town lot rates in an effort to reduce the # of beachgoers by increasing parking rates -- which translates into disproportionately impacting financially challenged people to favor access for the wealthy and for Town residents. Emphasis added: "If fees get too high, users go somewhere else or if they get too low, then we get overwhelmed with beach goers causing pressure on our local neighborhoods."
• Fortunately, a majority of the councilors were uncomfortable with removing the reduced rate fees and charging the full day’s rate for just a few hours of use.
• However, Councilor Caterina was adamant about her unsubstantiated speculation that it is out-of-town SURFERS who are parking in the lots before an attendant arrives at 8AM -- and -- that "these" folks are not honoring the honor system by paying that five bucks (see the recorded video at 1:10:30). She harkened back to our campaign a few years back to fight a (ridiculous) proposal that sought to ban the changing in and out of wetsuits at, on, or near the beach -- asserting that the lower than "standard" parking rates established then were in response to an attempt to urge surfers to use the bathhouse to change, instead of pulling a wetsuit over or off their bathing suits by their cars parked in the metered spots (not realizing that this proposal is akin to asking beachgoers not to erect umbrellas at, on, or near the beach...lol). She then dove directly into asserting that increasing fees is a way to "even out the cost of usage" and to "control" the amount of usage of a resource so that "certain" users do not "overuse" or "damage" and deplete the resource so it becomes "not a good place to be." She completed this anti-surfer bias by driving her opinion that "I know a lot of the surfers come regularly in the summer" noting that people who park without paying are not paying for their share of beach maintenance – despite the fact that the Town has all the money it needs (and then some) to maintain the facilities using current parking rates -- without increasing the rates and further entrenching economic class disparity at our shared beaches -- and despite the fact that no evidence was presented to substantiate her claim that people are failing to honor the honor system -- or that "these folks" are predominantly surfers who are not Scarborough residents.
• It was also revealed at this meeting on 11/3/21 that no survey has been conducted to actually determine whether or not beach users parking in the lot before or after the heat of the day and using the reduced rates are residents or not, surfers, dog walkers, swimmers, financially challenged beachgoers trying to afford the privilege to spend time at the public resource, or aliens for that matter. The Town Manager indicated by email that he assumes most of these beach users are residents, while other claims at the hearing indicated the contrary, thereby really establishing that this data about who uses the reduced rate parking and for what primary purpose is unknown. Who is this "everyone" and where is the evidence to demonstrate that "they" are not paying their fair share, already? Is this not an enforcement and process issue to crack down on exploiting the honor system, and if so, why would the Town just advance a hike increase instead of trying to understand and fix the actual "problem" of nonpayment, if it is a problem-- like maybe by talking with the State about how they manage their honor system at places like Popham Beach State Park?
• A motion was made by Councilor Cloutier to scrap the reduced rate and make early morning and late afternoon parking FREE, charging for the lot from 9am until 5pm! That was unfortunately rejected with rationalizations that don't make much sense to us (i.e. how to enforce the day rate if people are already parked for free by the time the attendant arrives -- nonsensical as this condition already exists whereby people pay $5 or according to unsubstantiated speculation - cheat the system by parking for free). Councilor Caterina proposed a motion that would've still done away with the reduced rates, and started charging people the full day rate at 7am; she did not vote in favor of her own motion after the debate.
• There was also a desire expressed to move to a cash-free payment system, which would solve a problem noted in the proposal of managers needing to make change all day for lot attendants. A cashless system also carries with it certain inequities for people who do not have bank accounts or cards but we also acknowledge that safety concerns are at play with cash handling and would not oppose a cashless system, particularly if it came with an alternative option for people who do not have bank debit or credit cards (i.e. like an option to pay with cash or check at the Town Office for a day pass or annual parking pass).
• The Town Council decided on 11/3/21 to table the matter until their Council meeting on 12/15/21 @7pm, so they can deliberate options, including trying to encourage more "regulars" who frequent the Scarborough beaches to buy season passes, and entertaining the notion of making non-resident season passes a more equitable, feasible option by lowering the current $150/year rate. We are urging all who care about public beach access in Scarborough to send letters to the Council before that 12/15 meeting to help advance good solutions!