15 September 2003
TO: Douglas Bohman, Chair, Selectmen
Bill Hinchey, Town Manager
Ted Keon, Coastal Resources
Stuart Smith, Harbormaster
Don St. Pierre, Waterways Advisory Committee
FROM: Sub-Committee, Landings & Beaches, NVTAC
Donald Edge, Chair
Dorothy Howell
Peter Tarrant
RE: Report on Chatham Town Landings
This brief report expands and completes a report begun two years ago by Don Nolan and his sub-committee of the Non Voting Taxpayers Advisory Committee.
The report is intended as a resource—a concise guide to Chatham’s Town Landings—and a simplified listing of suggested actions and improvements that may be of interest to the Town Selectmen, Coastal Resources, the Harbormaster’s Office, and the Waterways Advisory Committee.
The report was completed with the help of Don Nolan, now a Chatham resident, and Ted Keon, Stuart Smith, Don St. Pierre, and Bob Walsh.
Attachment
Report on Chatham Town Landings
What follows is a brief summary of Chatham’s Town Landings—access to other waters, parking, primary uses, special features, improvements, problems, plans.
There are five important ramp facilities in Chatham: three are primary (Barn Hill, Old Mill, Ryder’s Cove) and two are secondary but actively used (Bridge Street and Crow’s Pond). Four of the Town Landings used 1980’s funds from the State’s Coastal Facilities Improvement Program (Barn Hill, Crow’s Pond, Ryder’s Cove, Little Mill Pond), and so at present the Town cannot restrain non-Chatham residents from using these landings or their parking areas and so they are almost all heavily used. There are thirty-two other town landings, and they are listed below with comments
Finally, this report concludes with recommendations for improvements to Chatham’s Town Landings.
South Side (Nantucket Sound) Landings & Beaches
1. Pleasant Beach (while listed as Town Landings and have been used as such, visually Pleasant and Forest are rural beaches--no sticker required-- and they fall under Parks & Recreation rules and regulations). Limited parking.
2. Forest Beach (see above; see also Jackknife Beach), a landing since on that beach there are boats that have water access.
MCI property is an extension of Forest Beach; while it does have frontage, deed restrictions prohibit roads and town landings. The beach area is under Parks & Recreation jurisdiction.
3. Mill Creek (access to Mill Creek and Taylor’s Pond), parking, shore access, no boat launch, shellfish offloading.
4. Taylor’s Pond (catwalk and drag ramp for high tide hand launching of small boats); improvement of parking surface is in progress. A small floating dock at the end of the catwalk seems called for.
5. Cockle Cove Beach (guarded, gated beach with problems of continuous erosion and need for replenishment). Bacteria from the 51-acre Cockle Cove Creek marsh that has relatively little tidal flushing regularly forces the closing of a 30-foot stretch of the backside beach. Unsightly oildrum trash receptacles.
6. Barn Hill (on Oyster River, one of four main Town Landing facilities and the primary area for shellfish offloading. The ramp and one of two bulkheads have been reconstructed, and the gangway and float system have been replaced. Plans call for improvement of the parking surface and overall drainage. Parking is the greatest problem; the tide determines parking times for shell fishermen and their trailers. Plans call for shifting the roadbed and widening the roadway for better traffic flow and trailer parking.
7. Vineyard Avenue (at head of Oyster River); no ramp, but natural shoreline permits small boat launching. Serious problems with vehicles driving into the meadow bank, presumably to access dinghies, and undercutting the meadow bank by dragging dinghies
8. Oyster Pond Furlong (good diagonal parking, moorings access, high tide launching). No specific plans for improvements.
9. Oyster Pond Beach (primary children’s beach with moorings access).
10. Sears Point (Oyster River, access to Stage Harbor), minimal street side shoulder parking only, access to a mooring field, shellfish offloading, high tide small boat launch.
11. Battlefield Landing (Outer Stage Harbor), cries out for expanded diagonal shoulder side parking. Ongoing erosion problem.
12. Champlain Road (no parking, two pedestrian public access paths to water)
13. Port Fortune Lane (parking on street shoulder and walking access (public path) to water; moorings access.
14. Old Mill Boatyard (one of the four main facilities, it is the only Town owned Landing with public parking restricted to Chatham residents and taxpayers; from June 1 to Labor Day the ramp is restricted to Town users, and off-season it is available to all others. The Boatyard houses the Harbormaster’s office that shares a decrepit building with a state of the art “upwelling system” for shellfish propagation (primarily quahogs), an effort paid for by a dedicated 75% of commercial shellfishing fees.
Stage Island old Coast Guard launchway and pier (privately owned, it is not a Town Landing and it has a decrepit dock and very limited parking, but it does have moorings access. Ideal site for the upwelling system.
15. Bridge Street (limited parking, tidal launching ramp that is nominally leased annually by the Town from a private owner).
16. Footpaths at both sides of the Mitchell River Bridge at the immediate eastern end are used by shell fishermen; these footpaths could have subtle posts with symbols identifying their whereabouts and use.
17. Little Mill Pond has a substantial town pier with a floating dock. This is a choice mooring field since it is so well protected. The Mill Pond and the Little Mill Pond have increasing vegetation, and the Little Mill Pond moorings could be optimized.
East Side (Pleasant Bay & Ocean) Landings and Beaches
18. Little Beach/Dike/Morris & Stage Islands. The islands are mostly private property, private beaches. The Dike is Town owned, with limited on-street parking. There are many informal paths to access the outermost harbor area for shellfishing and shoreline walking, and to the recreational clam flats on the Stage Harbor side. There is a more significant path at the south end of the Dike that crosses private property.
19. At Stage Harbor Point there is a Town owned footpath to Inner Stage Harbor and moorings access and shellfishing (parking for four or five cars at most).
Outermost Harbor Marina footpath: the Marina has an agreement with the Town to use the county dredge to maintain a public channel at private expense; in return the Marina has opened up a footpath across their property to access the shoreline. No parking.
Outermost Harbor clam flats are accessed informally via these private lands.
20. Bearse’s Lane, adjacent to the Beach & Tennis Club, is a Town Landing with drivable beach access for emergencies.
21. Lighthouse Beach has limited parking at the Lighthouse Overlook, and problematic parking on one side of Bridge Street. While not a formal town bathing beach, it is used as such, despite the absence of lifeguards and public toilets. During summer a Harbormaster boat will patrol the area.
22. Water Street: practically no parking at the east end where there is no beach access; at the west end there is limited parking and a footpath to the Mill Pond; with some effort you could probably get a kayak to the water.
23. Andrew Harding’s Lane, a former Town Landing, has no parking or turn around, and most of the present beach is privately owned. The area is dynamic and requires regular beach replenishment and observation. With some effort kayaks and dingies can be hauled to the water, and the Town will continue to maintain its limited public access.
24. Holway Street has access to a private beach long used by the public. There is no parking or turnaround.
25. Eliphamet’s Lane, despite very limited on street parking, is an important small facility for Mill Pond small boat launching, mooring access, and shellfishing.
26. Claflin Town Landing is not a boat launching site. It is heavily used and there is parking for several cars. Beach restoration has been highly successful. The area appears to be stabilizing and has good potential.
27. Fish Pier. For years there has been a Town Landing at the end of Barcliffe Avenue; now access is only at the dock facility and the pier viewing deck.
28. Cow Yard Town Landing. This was a highly popular Personal Watercraft launch site; now it is a site for launching skiffs and kayaks, and there is some parking.
29. Scatteree Town Landing accesses a mooring field, and there is limited parking. Erosion at this point feeds the whole shoreline, especially to the north. Scatteree receives truck-hauled sand replenishment and beach grass plantings. Erosion and lateral movement of the truck-hauled sand nourishes a system made static by revetments.
30. Cotchpinicut Town Landing, with minimal parking, is a popular little site with beach access, small boat launching, and shell fishing. It is another example of a beach starved by adjacent revetments. There are no plans for this beach other than vigilance and control of erosion via beach nourishment.
31. Ryder’s Cove Town Landing is the prime facility for the east side of Chatham, and it has the advantage of fairly extensive adjacent town-owned property and waterfront. There is parking for trailers and cars, but it is woefully inadequate, especially during the boating season. A floating dock and a gangway have been replaced, but the dock receives more use than it can service. A ramp scouring problem has been corrected, but still needing attention are a marine borer worm problem in the bulkhead system, continued dredging near the bulkhead, and as with other town landings, the parking surface needs drainage with a
collection/filtering system.
Town zoning turned down a haul-out and wash-down operation proposed for the north side of Ryder’s Cove Road.
Ryder’s Cove Landing is heavily used by non-residents, especially commercial bass fishermen
32. Herring Run on Route 28 North near the Harwich Line provides very modest shellfishing access (four vehicles at most). This is an ancient, viable run that is an important part of the fish ecosystem; the herring seek spawning grounds via Stillwater Pond to Lover’s Lake. Volunteers, a Herring Warden and Assistant Herring Warden, maintain the herring run. The run needs attention, which it will get when that section of Route 28 is repaired. Because it is in full view, and because the Herring Warden lives nearby, Chatham’s herring run is not subject to the serious poaching that plagues some nearby towns.
33. Crow’s Pond Town Landing is opposite the entrance to Eastward Ho; it has limited parking, a launch ramp, mooring access, and skiff launching.
34. Strong Island Town Landing sits on a bluff. It is mostly a destination for shore walkers and clammers, and with some effort a skiff or kayak could be manhandled to the water. The beach nourishment situation is similar to that at Scatteree.
35. Jack Knife Cove, like Forest and Pleasant Street Beaches, is informally used for small boat launching. This is a large beach with ample parking, although there is a run-off problem and the parking surface challenges even an SUV, and the entrance from Route 28 is steep, eroded, and not for the faint of heart.
Town Landings: Recommendations
In 2008 the State’s Coastal Facilities Improvement Program bonds expire and control of four important Town Landings reverts to the Town. The landings are Barn Hill, Crow’s Pond, Ryder’s Cove, and Little Mill Pond. It would be wise for the Selectmen to start considering the following two questions:
· Could use of these town landings be restricted in whole or in part to Chatham residents/taxpayers?
· Should they be so restricted?
One question that Town Meeting might decide is
· What is the relative importance of fishing/boating/beach recreation?
This is a question that cuts to the heart of the use of the route 28 Fougere property for boating/marine uses, and anticipates related situations, such as purchase of seashore property to enhance and preserve beach and water views, and access for recreation and commerce.
Opportunities to enhance Chatham’s shore side infrastructure (port and docking facilities) are becoming increasingly scarce. The Town should pursue acquiring docking and pier facilities whenever possible to preserve in perpetuity public access and offloading facilities for recreational boating and commercial fishing.
· Significant improvements will have to be made to the Old Mill Boat Yard if the Town is to insure that it serves into the future for commercial fish offloading. In Spring 2003 a scour protection apron for the ramp was completed, and near future plans call for improvements to the parking surface and drainage. Long-term plans call for upgrades to the wharf/pier systems to make this the prime mooring/access area for this side of Chatham. The float/dock systems are inadequate for future use. Finally, it is imperative that this Town Landing has restrooms to serve both the public and the commercial fishermen.
· The Simonitsch and Eldredge properties on Stage Harbor are prime examples of a purchase opportunity. They are the last waterfront properties that can meet the needs of fishermen and shell fishermen
· The town should form a blue ribbon 90-day committee to develop a plan for the use of the Stage Harbor properties.
· The old Coast Guard Pier in Stage Harbor is another purchase opportunity: it is ideal for housing a shellfish propagation system.
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· The Bridge Street landing is another opportunity for the Town to purchase a valuable and very active area that in any year could be withdrawn from Town use.
· Andrew Harding’s Lane Beach is a valuable small neighborhood beach; a significant portion of that beach is presently for sale.
· Secure easements where necessary, such as the Herring Run shutoff and the path on the north side of the Mitchell River Bridge.erring Run HH
· Develop a plan for improving roadbeds and parking lots and trailer parking, starting with the most problematic—Barnhill parking, Jackknife Cove roadbed and parking lot, and especially, Ryder’s Cove, where the new parking plans along the road will not handle existing usage.
· MCI Property in South Chatham has a spectacular overlook calling for plantings, benches, possibly some tree trimming to improve the view, telephone poles or some other devices to control parking and turnaround.
· Reduce waterways pollution by capturing runoff, most noticeably at Barn Hill, Oyster Pond Furlong, Oyster Pond Beach, and the Cow Yard.
· Reduce waterways pollution by capturing washdown drainage.
· Redesign the Vineyard Avenue Landing to maximize parking, prevent vehicles driving in the meadow bank, and reduce the meadow bank wear and tear caused by dinghies.
· Reduce the number of footpaths leading from the Dike and direct travelers to strategically placed wood walkways.
· Remove abandoned boats that kill vegetation and hasten erosion.
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