A meeting of the MBC minds

The Metropolitan Beaches Commission at the State House

On January 30th, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s staff and interns were on hand to witness policy in action at the Massachusetts State House for the meeting of the The Metropolitan Beaches Commission (MBC). This Commission collaborates with the state legislature to recommend improvements for our urban beaches and works with the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) on many beach conservation projects.

A recent budget cut for DCR has called into question the future of the beach conservation projects by the DCR as well as the programs held by Save the Harbor/Save the Bay on our urban beaches.

Over the years since the Commission was formed, its members have been able to see the improvements made with DCR take shape in the communities. Senator McGee, Co-Chair of the MBC, recalled the algae problem in Nahant. The smell of the algae became so unbearable that it actually deterred people from visiting the beach. Through the DCR’s hard work, the algae was removed and people were able to enjoy the beach again. DCR was also able to provide better landscaping, increased staffing, and facility updates that made the beach even more enjoyable.

Along with the potential for algae problems to make for an unpleasant beach day, the decreased budget may force DCR to reduce staffing and cut maintenance projects that could improve the beaches as a whole. A decrease in budget means that the funding for Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s Better Beaches Program has been decimated as well. These programs are not only a great opportunity for children and families in nearby communities to take advantage of Boston’s great beach resources, but they also showcase these urban beaches.

Representative RoseLee Vincent, Co-Chair of the Commission, said, “it’s a shame we’ve come so far and now we seem to be going backwards,” noting that Revere Beach is lacking in the cleanliness and staffing that it once had.  The Commissioners’ shared goal has always been the improvement of Boston’s beaches for both their recreational and their environmental values. Our metropolitan beaches are an important resource, and as some of the cleanest urban beaches in the country, they are truly beaches we can be proud of. With the recent budget cuts it is unclear whether we will be able to maintain the beach quality that we have seen, but the MBC will continue to work to make this possible. 

Soon, the MBC will hold a hearing and work to publicize what this budget cut means to the future of the beaches and how it will affect the quality of life for the thousands that call these beaches home. This hearing will gather supporters to advocate for the importance of restoring the budget in maintaining and improving the quality of our urban beaches.

Click here to read more about the MBC and learn more about what the Commission has done with the help of DCR to improve our beaches in their 2014 report, Waves of Change. For even more updates, like Save the Harbor/Save the Bay on Facebook!

Metropolitan Beaches Commission Announces Lynn Public Hearing

 

Metropolitan Beaches Commission Co-Chairs Senator Tom McGee of Lynn, Rep. RoseLee Vincent of Revere and Department of Conservation and Recreation Commissioner Carol Sanchez at a recent MBC meeting at the State House.

Metropolitan Beaches Commission Co-Chairs Senator Tom McGee of Lynn and Rep. RoseLee Vincent of Revere announced Tuesday that the Commission will hold a series of regional public hearings on the state of the Metropolitan Region’s public beaches from Nahant to Nantasket.

The first public hearing will focus on beaches in Lynn and Nahant and will be held on Saturday morning, November 7th from 10:00 am to noon at the Lynn Housing Authority and Neighborhood Development Community Room, 10 Church Street, Lynn.

Metropolitan Beaches Commission Co-Chair Senator Thomas McGee of Lynn, who has served on the Commission since its inception in 2007, and Co-Chair RoseLee Vincent of Revere will host the hearing. Commissioners Rep. Brendan P. Crighton of Lynn, Robert Tucker of the Friends of Lynn and Nahant Beach and newly appointed Commissioners Rep. Donald Wong of Saugus, Nahant Town Administrator Jeffrey Chelgren as well as other Commissioners from waterfront neighborhoods and beachfront communities from Nahant to Nantasket are expected to attend.

“These public hearings will give the region’s residents an opportunity to share their ideas about how to continue to improve our region’s public beaches, and give the Commission and the Department of Conservation and Recreation the chance to assess where we are today and where we hope to go in the future” said Commission Co-Chair Senator Tom McGee of Lynn. “Working together, I am confident that we can protect what we have accomplished and help move these beaches from good to great.”

“We’ve made great progress on these beaches for all the region’s families,” said Commission Co-Chair Representative RoseLee Vincent of Revere. “They have truly benefited from the investments we have made in our beaches and it’s important that we don’t lose the gains we have made.”

“It has taken years of effort to change public perception and improve these beaches,” said Save the Harbor/Save the Bay board member David Spillane of Goody Clancy, who has served as a lead consultant to the Commission since its inception. “However, we could lose this progress in short order if the resources and commitment aren’t there to protect the progress we have made and build on our success.”

About the Metropolitan Beaches CommissionThe Metropolitan Beaches 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.

The MBC was created in 2006 by the Massachusetts Legislature to take an in-depth look at the metropolitan region’s public beaches in Nahant, Lynn, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull that are managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. The Commission reconvened in 2013 to examine the impacts of the reforms and recommendations made in its first report  “Beaches We Can Be Proud Of” and issued additional findings and recommendations to better leverage these resources for residents in the future in their 2014 report “Waves of Change”. Today the MBC is a permanent Commission, which reports annually to the House and the Senate.

For more information about the MBC and its history and accomplishments, or to download copies of the Commission’s 2007 and 2014 reports, visit www.savetheharbor.org/MBC

For more information about the Metropolitan Beaches Commission or the hearing on November 7th, please contact Bruce Berman at 617-451-2860 or by email to info@savetheharbor.org