The Metropolitan Beaches Commission has improved conditions and facilities at many of Massachusetts' beaches since its inception in 2006. Recently, however, the commission called for funding to be restored to pre-recession levels.
With an estimated one million residents living within a half-hour of Massachusetts' beaches, the state's coastline is a precious public and open space resource. The state established the Metropolitan Beach Commission as a funded public review board. After the commission's inception, "park conditions improved dramatically — at first. New bathhouses were built, fences were repaired or replaced, trees were planted, trash got picked up on a regular schedule," writes Renée Loth in a recent op-ed.
"But state support has been slipping since the financial collapse of 2008, and is now below the level of 2006..."
It seems that the commission is not a priority for Governor Deval Patrick, who "did not request additional funding for DCR in his $36 billion annual budget proposal last month," reports Loth. In response, "the beaches commission is proposing a $7 to $10 million increase in the entire DCR budget, enough to hire 60 full-time staffers across the state."
FULL STORY: Urban beach maintenance at an ebb
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