Hot, humid weather drove hundreds of Westporters to Compo Beach yesterday.
And yes, they were nearly all Westporters. No day passes are being sold.
In an added effort to keep crowds to a COVID-safe number, Parks & Recreation officials closed (and patrolled) the dropoff (aka Uber) area across from the Soundview parking lot …
… and erected barricades along Soundview Drive.
They even put stanchions in front of the pumping station at the Longshore exit, near the Minute Man monument. Savvy folks have been parking there for a while.
Police also ticketed cars parked illegally on side streets.
Meanwhile — very quietly — Parks & Rec has re-opened the very popular playground.
They also returned a few (well distanced) tables to the two pavilions.
Westporters wasted no time going back to their old habit of dumping all their stuff all over the place, then leaving …
… and at South Beach, where Parks & Rec added a few picnic tables and even grills, Westporters quickly returned to the pre-pandemic ritual of completely ignoring the signs saying “Tables Are Not Reservable” — on each table! — and reserving them.
(Photos/Dan Woog)
Some things never change.
Confiscate the stuff left there!
It should be someone’s job at Parks & Recreation to patrol and enforce the rules they put in place. It’s obvious from this article, and the many others in the past, that a few Westporters feel entitled enough to ignore the rules, or feel the rules don’t apply to them. If you’re not actively using a table, let someone else use it. When you want to use a table and they’re all being used…oh well, sometimes life doesn’t cooperate with your plans..deal with it. There’s plenty of room elsewhere at Compo to have your picnic.
They should ticket the table reserves too.
Regards, Chuck McStocker
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Ah, Westport. On a too hot Sunday morning, my embrace of you is two thirds unadulterated love and one third eye-rolling.
I’d say feel free to move someones belongings if they are not there and its clear its being reserved. Put it right on the ground. No rule says you can’t.
That will just cause a problem Park and Rec people need to enforce the rules! Jen Fava take note!
it *could* cause a conflict but we are adults and expect adults to act like adults. when finding parking, i regularly move illegally placed cones and road blocks private individuals/businesses setup to save spots, on public roadways. i am not afraid. i am not going to waste town/state resources calling someone to handle it, but i have reported regular violators so they could be issued a cease and desist. you might see several businesses thinking they own the public roadway in the downtown area. some have even had fake signs that are made to look official made, and attached to town/state-owned sign posts.
{Exasperated Sigh}
Perhaps tagging “reserved/unoccupied” tables like cars parked in a 15 minute zone – no show in 15 minutes then issue a fine. Or simply add to the rule “subject to a fine” might work.
Maybe there should be signs that say “Unattended items at picnic tables will be removed. You can retrieve your confiscated items M-F at the Parks & Rec office.”
Like that idea
Seriously, it could get acrimonious if residents took someone’s articles off a table. But, I would expect behavior to adjust if the Compo staff knew a table had been “reserved” without humans being there for 30+ mins. Take their stuff to a well marked area where someone could retrieve their possessions, and hopefully the word would quickly spread that enforcement is real. Right now, these people who have no good social judgment figure there’s no harm. Having ur stuff dumped somewhere would quickly change their tune. I’m sure some would have the gall to complain,and hopefully the staff would be able to manage.
One’s gotta do what one’s gotta do.
To the victor goes the spoils🖕🐔💩
My husband & I drove down to Compo Beach Sunday night to take a stroll.
It was good to be out ,and good to see others out enjoying the beach.
While we observed most people social distancing (one group from another), there was one large group of people all close together partying.
We enjoyed our time there, but decided not to stay. Just too many people for our comfort level. Seems 50% capacity is still quite full for this beach goer. Stay safe everyone and be well <3
Now someone from parks and rec must have observed this large group as well. Why wasn’t anything done about it? Are Westport entitled folks looks to have covid come back and have us in the news again. Ruin it for everyone! No enforcement means no adherence.