Officials and Residents Dive in on Silver Lake Concerns

With snow banks still lining the streets of Wilmington, summer still seems in the distant future. But last week, talks about the town's plans for Silver Lake were heating up during a public forum.

Town officials and residents discussed challenges and proposals for the upcoming beach season. Residents have expressed concerns about trash, parking, the kind of behavior that takes place on the beach and more. The town hopes to address these issues with several proposals.

Local blog Wilmington Apple provided in depth updates from the meeting. You can see the updates in their entirety on the Wilmington Apple Facebook page.

The proposals highlighted at the meeting, according to Wilmington Apple, are below:

• Restrict parking along Grove Ave. Install new "No Parking" signage.
• Install gate at the main beach to prohibit parking in the lot when the beach is closed. Parking for the Fish Pier will be outside of the gate and accessible at all times.
• Install barriers at abandoned property at 105 Main Street to prohibit unauthorized public parking.
• Close the main beach when crowding presents a safety hazard. Place temporary signage along Grove Ave. when closed to alert visitors prior to reaching the beach gates.
• Increase non-resident day pass and eliminate season passes.
• Prohibit dogs on beach from May 1 to October 1.
• Increase beach hours to 8 p.m.
• Increase beach season further into August (subject to lifeguard availability)
• Restrict swimming at Baby Beach (one year trial)
• Require beach goers to remove their own trash (carry in/carry out)
• Authorize Police Department to issue fines for violation of beach rules & regulations -- $100 first offense, $150 for subsequent offenses.