The Metropolitan Beaches Commission (MBC) will hold nine public hearings in the winter and spring of 2019 in waterfront communities from Nahant to Nantasket to receive public input about the state of the Commonwealth’s public beaches. The hearing for DCR’s Carson Beach in South Boston will be on Monday May 6th from 6-8pm at the Tynan Community Center.
South Boston’s legislative and local Commissioners Representative David Biele and Kenny Ryan invite the public to attend and share their thoughts and ideas for DCR’s Carson Beach.
“The region’s public beaches are important recreational, economic, and educational assets,” said State Senator Brendan Crighton of Lynn and Nahant, Senate Co-Chair of the MBC. “Working together we have made our beaches cleaner, safer and more accessible, and I am looking forward to continuing our work together this year.”
The Metropolitan Beaches Commission was created in 2006 by the Massachusetts Legislature to make findings and recommendations on ways to strengthen the Boston metropolitan region’s 15 public beaches in Nahant, Lynn, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy, and Hull which are managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). The Commission is comprised of elected officials and community, civic, nonprofit, and business leaders from Boston and the metropolitan region’s waterfront neighborhoods and beachfront communities.
In 2013, the Commission reconvened to examine the impacts of the reforms and recommendations made in its first report and issue additional findings and recommendations to better leverage these resources for residents in the future. The MBC was made permanent in 2015. Each year the Commission holds public hearings at the State House and in waterfront neighborhoods and beachfront communities from Nahant to Nantasket, and issues an annual report of its findings and recommendations to the Legislature and to DCR.
“As the Commissioner from Revere Beach, the nation’s first public beach, I know how important these resources are,” said State Representative RoseLee Vincent, House Co-Chair of the MBC. “Beaches like Revere Beach are premier destinations for millions of visitors from across the Commonwealth and the country, and enhance the lives of the community members who live along their shores.”
The Commission will release its third report on the state of the metropolitan beaches in late spring after the hearings are completed. During the last round of hearings more than a thousand people participated, helping the Commission understand what’s working and what could use improvement.
“One of the most important lessons we have learned is that the region’s residents really love their beaches, and have great ideas about how to make them better,” said Bruce Berman, Director of Strategy and Communications at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, which has helped to lead and manage the Commission since its inception. “We look forward to hearing from the residents of South Boston and all those who love DCR’s Carson Beach.”
Each
hearing will give community members and beach goers the chance to share their
thoughts on the state of their beach, and share their ideas and recommendations
to make them even better. The Commission will hold a hearing in late May to
review its draft findings with the public before releasing their final report
in June. The Commission will hold hearings in Nahant, Lynn, Revere, Winthrop,
East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, and Hull between February and May 2019. The
MBC held a hearing in Quincy in August of 2018, and the feedback received will also
be included in the Commission’s report.
The 2019 Metropolitan Beaches Commission hearings will be held on the following
dates:
- Tuesday March 5th – Hull
- Tuesday March 19th – Lynn and Nahant
- Saturday March 30th – Dorchester
- Tuesday April 9th – East Boston
- Tuesday April 30th – Revere
- Monday May 6th – South Boston
- Tuesday May 14th – Winthrop
- Saturday May 18th – Regional Review
- Tuesday June 4th – State House Hearing
If you love your beach, but can’t attend the MBC Hearing, you can share your thoughts by taking part in the MBC online survey at tinyurl.com/BeachesSurvey, available also in Chinese and Spanish.
