Will West Tisbury open up its beach?

10

To the Editor:

I take issue with recent letters from John Abrams and Michael Bellissimo, both of West Tisbury, supporting the Martha’s Vineyard Housing Bank. Both letters had the theme that we are one Island community. If we are an Island community, then why can’t the public walk, cycle, or bus to Lambert’s Cove Beach, a West Tisbury town park? Silence is my validation, end beach apartheid.

 

Erik Albert
Oak Bluffs

10 COMMENTS

  1. Let’s join the rest of the country and most of the world and do the civilized thing, open all beaches. Private beaches are the absolute limousine Liberal mark of elitism. Even the conservative Nantucket has more welcoming beaches for all. Maybe real change is needed.

    • binwt– How you think that private beaches are a hallmark of liberal elitism is beyond me– California,( you know — that most liberal, most elitist state in the country) for instance, provides for public access to every inch of beach except restricted military installations.. There is no private ownership.
      As a contrast, 60 % of Florida’s beaches are privately owned.
      Do you think elitism is only for liberals ? I listen to hate radio sometimes, and they often use the term “liberal elitism” . How about conservative elitism ? I think it’s the conservatives that push for private beaches—

    • binwt — it seems you are advocating for ‘socialist beaches” that’s right– no private ownership of the coastline– everyone gets to use it.. That’s socialism plain and simple— AOC will see to it..

  2. Well Lambert’s is a Town beach – this dates back to that beach being privately owned, and it’s owner gifting it to the residents of town of West Tisbury. I don’t really have a problem with that.

  3. welcome back Albert– we missed you. Could you please try to get me a pass onto Lucy Vincent ? I don’t live in that town, but I am a socialist, and I think everything should be open to all people..
    Quite frankly, Lucy Vincent is a much nicer beach than Lamberts cove– no offense to L.C beach, it’s wonderful– but — so please Eric– end beach apartheid in Chilmark also…

  4. You can walk, bike, or bus to Lambert’s Cove Beach. You just can’t actually, well…how to put this, go onto the beach in the summer. Why? Because it is a TOWN beach. I’m not understanding why you only take issue with West Tisbury and not the other island towns that have the same type beaches.

  5. Why couldn’t Lambert’s cove beach (and Lucy Vincent for that matter) be open to people from other Island towns on a, say, one day at a time, basis? If the issue in the minds of those who live in West Tisbury is overcrowding, or litter, or loss of parking opportunities for town residents, then try opening the beach on Mondays for residents of Edgartown, on Tuesdays for Tisbury, etc., on a trial basis, and see if there’s any detrimental effects as a result. If, as I imagine, there will be no harm done, then greater public access could be widened. If somehow the experiment fails, then West Tis can revert to a residents-only policy. This opening would surely be a real indication of our being a single Island community.

    • What day would be for the many, many visitors to the island? The parking is already overcrowded just with West Tisbury residents. The ethereal concept that the island is one big happy community is false. It is an island that consists of six separate towns, all of which have different rules and regulations. West Tisbury was given a beach to be used by residents of that town only.

  6. Erik is right. There are very few private beaches in the world anymore. Even in Nantucket it is not tolerated anymore. The Up Island towns should allow a certain number of proven Island residents to walk on to their private beaches every day. A total exclusion is not only wrong, it may be illegal. Even New Jersey and Connneticut banned private beaches recently, after having private beaches.

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