Beach Committee - October 22, 2026

The Westport Beach Committee met to review financial reports, beach pass sales, and operational planning for the upcoming beach season. According to reports provided by the Town Clerk and Town Accountant, 3,757 beach stickers were sold for the calendar year (2,184 regular passes and 1,573 senior passes), generating $175,165 in revenue. Committee members analyzed expenditures against the $186,850 operating budget, noting that the enterprise fund is currently running approximately $7,000 to $8,000 in the red, largely influenced by unexpected professional service charges for shorebird monitoring and upcoming 3% personnel wage increases. After reviewing pass prices from neighboring Bristol County communities, the committee decided against raising beach pass rates at this time to avoid diminishing returns, opting instead to seek operational efficiencies.

To balance the personnel budget without cutting base safety, members discussed adjusting lifeguard shift schedules—such as having a core team arrive at 9:00 AM while auxiliary guards work peak hours from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM or 5:00 PM. Dana and Perry agreed to collaborate on modeling lifeguard schedule scenarios to present to the head lifeguard. The committee also discussed operational policies, including formalizing a town vehicle use and safety policy for the beach truck and Gator utility vehicle, instituting dual time-tracking via mobile phone and written logs, and defining lunch break rules.

In administrative and facility updates, the committee unanimously approved the meeting minutes of September 24. Members noted that two beach bays have been closed for the off-season and trash and portable toilet services are concluding. Highway Superintendent Chris Gonsalves will assist in repairing dune cut-throughs at Beach Avenue and Cherry & Webb access roads once the ongoing Sanford Road paving project is completed.

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