Rec Commission requests closing gate to Gilford Beach during winter

GILFORD — The Recreation Commission recommended the gate to Gilford Town Beach be closed during the winter, following various issues including a sunken truck retrieved in April. Members of the selectboard tasked Town Administrator Scott Dunn with drafting a policy.

Recreation Commission Chair Rick Nelson was joined by Parks and Recreation Director Matt Mansur at the selectboard meeting on May 27, to share the commission’s desire to close the gate.

“On May 4, the Rec Commission voted to recommend to you all to keep the gate closed at the beach for ice fishing and winter operations,” Mansur said.

The selectboard asked for why, and Mansur said it was due to damage, as well as potential damage.

“We are seeing some small wear and tear on trees, roots, the sand, the beach sand’s compacted, and we just noticed damage to one of our barrier posts,” Mansur said. “It looks like it may have been ripped out of the ground entirely and put back in.”

Mansur referenced the owner of the sunken truck using the beach to attempt to retrieve it from the bottom of Lake Winnipesaukee, and a spill of a yet-to-be-identified substance awaiting lab results from Wilcox & Barton, an environmental firm. Partial results have been “favorable”: volatile organic compounds were not detected, except a low indication of acetone.

But that doesn't mean there is petroleum at the beach.

“The area is roped off right now, because we don’t know what it is,” Mansur said. “Everything is coming back as very low levels of the things they’re testing for.”

Mansur said the commission is also concerned about the bath house on site, as the town recently spent about $750,000 on the facility.

Vice Chair Gus Benavides said the closure would bring attention, and wants to provide as much information to the public as possible about why.

“If I hear you correctly, what you’re saying is you’re trying to protect the natural resources down there, as well as the physical structures,” Benavides said.

Benavides asked if the proposal was to just close the gate, or close the beach completely. 

Nelson said without a gatekeeper, it is tough to regulate who goes on the beach, so he doesn’t think that is feasible. Mansur said the recommendation is specifically about the gate.

Benavides clarified this means the gate would stay closed, so people can’t bring vehicles and structures in, but if the lake is frozen and someone put a bob house on the lake and wanted to walk out on the ice, they could.

“The recommendation was basically to no longer open the gate, to keep people from towing their bob houses in there, driving their snowmobiles across the sand, driving their SUVs. He already said we had to deal with hydraulic fluid,” Nelson said. “And what I like to call the fiasco this winter. Nobody seemed to think it was a bad idea, not [the Department of Environmental Services], not Fish and Game, to drag a sunken truck one-plus miles across the lake bottom, uninsured by the way.”

Nelson said years ago, there was an issue with a Winnebago that dumped 30 gallons of sewage on the beach, and another RV was plugging into the beach house and tapping into its propane supply. He also said ATVs and snowmobiles were being stored on the beach, and some were chained to trees. Nelson said people have been refueling ATVs and snowmobiles on the beach, as well.

Benavides said the selectboard wants residents to have access to the lake, but also needs to think about these concerns.

Selectboard Clerk Richard Grenier said if the gate is closed, the problem would be moved to Varney Point. Chair Chan Eddy agreed, but doesn’t want the beach to be a dumping ground, or a place for vehicles storage.

“To me, in retrospect, it was on us,” Grenier said, in reference to the truck which spent more than a month in the lake, after falling through the ice in March. “The minute we learned that thing was sunk and he was trying to take it out, we should have put a stop to it.”

Benavides didn’t think people would start leaving ATVs on Varney Point, and Grenier said while that may be true, the ATVs chained to trees were also “on us.” Board members also said this was the first time they had heard of anyone taking propane from the beach house.

Dunn wasn't certain about whether he agrees with the gate closure, but thinks vehicles should be prohibited from the beach.

“I don’t want to see bob houses on the beach,” Dunn said. “I don’t want to see cars on the beach. ATVs. Trailers. Campers. I would like to see you guys consider having a policy that prohibits those types of things from being left on the beach in the winter, but not necessarily closing it off.”

Dunn said signs seemed to be a good way to address this, as it gives the ability to remove any vehicles left there.

Mansur said he is open to compromise.

“I am happy that we’re at this point, because I think this is going to turn a lot of eyes on what is going on down there. And I think the ice fishing community will see this and say, ‘Hey, we’ve got to follow the rules that are set up or we could lose this,’” Mansur said. “I think there could be some self-policing going on.”

Michael Eastman, a captain with NH Fish and Game who's lived in Gilford for 51 years, spoke. He was the officer in Gilford until 2012, and said the beach was always open for use by anglers and snowmobilers. However, as the off-road vehicles coordinator, he is concerned about snowmobiles on the beach.

He recalled in 2007, there were similar issues at the beach, and at that time his staff worked with town department staff and the Belknap County Sportsmen’s Association to keep an eye on it. This has worked well for years, but he said last winter was the best weather for snowmobiling and ice fishing in years.

Previously, there was signage, he said, that laid out the expectations and rules. He called the truck in the water “unacceptable,” and noted the owner of the vehicle and “sister agencies” didn’t work together.

Eastman said he is willing to perform due diligence to ensure something like that doesn’t happen again, and hopes the beach can remain open.

“I think if we could work together to solve this issue, it would be a better resolution than just closing it down,” Eastman said.

Patrick McGonagle, a Gilford resident and member of the Fish and Game Commission, said he represents Belknap County. He said it is generous of Gilford to allow non-residents to use the beach to access the lake. Maintaining lake access is important, he said, but it needs to be done in a respectful and environmentally friendly manner. He also hoped to keep the beach open, while recognizing and preventing potential issues.

“I do believe it is important that we work through the process to try to find some way to still use the beach, but it is done correctly,” McGonagle said.

Eddy said he doesn’t like the idea of closing access, and recommended installing cameras. Grenier plans to make a request at the next Sportsmen’s Association meeting for a $1,000 donation, and Dunn said this would likely provide for at least two cameras.

After Dunn drafts regulations about the beach’s winter operations, the proposal would be the subject of a public hearing.

The selectboard meets next at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 10, at Town Hall.