Madeleine List

SOUTH DENNIS The public will have a chance to weigh in on worries about town beaches, which have been a concern after allegations that teenagers were drunk and having sex in plain view at Mayflower Beach on the Fourth of July.

At the first meeting Monday of the Beach Safety and Monitoring Committee, a seven-member ad hoc committee created by the Dennis Board of Selectmen in response to resident complaints, members drafted a long list of problems they hope to address by November.

The committee will host a public hearing Sept. 11 to gather comments from community members, committee chairwoman Connie Mooers said.

A major issue the committee hopes to address is beachgoers bringing alcohol onto town beaches.

After the Mayflower Beach incident, the Beach and Recreation Department and Dennis Police Department increased beach patrols and began checking all coolers that enter town beaches for glass containers and alcohol, which are prohibited. Despite the efforts, beachgoers are finding creative ways to get around the rules, said Dustin Pineau, director of the Beach and Recreation Department.

Over the weekend, a woman with a metal detector came across a cooler full of beer buried in the sand at a town beach, Pineau said at the meeting.

Another major issue committee members said they will address is the lack of revenue from beachgoers who walk onto the beach or get dropped off by Uber and avoid paying for parking.

Committee member Wendy Thurmond suggested that charging individual beachgoers for day passes could be a solution, but some other committee members said they opposed the idea.

Other issues committee members plan to discuss include traffic congestion, garbage and increased hours of beach monitoring by police or beach staff.

The committee will meet again at 6 p.m. on Aug. 28.

Follow Madeleine List on Twitter: @madeleine_list

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Public to tackle rowdy beaches in Dennis - Cape Cod Times (subscription)