By David Harry
Staff Writer

On Wednesday morning, the half-dozen surfers in the water at Higgins Beach looked like black dots on sun-dappled and foamy waves.
As they bobbed up and down in near high tide waves, other surfers were parking on Bayview Avenue and more were changing into wet suits.
It was an orderly and methodical scene, but some residents, including Bill Donovan, said it can be overwhelming – especially in late fall and early spring.
Donovan described a scene of overcrowding, illegal parking and surfers “robing and disrobing” when he spoke at a Jan. 20 Town Council hearing about a new parking ordinance.
Ultimately, the council decided against shortening the April 1 to Oct. 1 ban on street parking in the Higgins Beach community. They instead voted to ban parking throughout the year on a stretch of Bayview Avenue from Houghton to Pearl streets.
While Surfrider Foundation Chairman Janice Parente supported eliminating some parking on Bayview Avenue, she was disappointed by the council’s decision against extending parking for an additional six weeks.
The Surfrider organization has about 145 members who help monitor water quality and clean up the beach. Parente said she had hoped the reduction of parking spaces would be accompanied by a shorter parking ban.
Parente said the council vote against increasing the days was the result of complaints from a small group of homeowners about a small group of surfers.
Donovan circulated photos to council members of filled parking spaces and illegally parked vehicles to establish why added parking days would negatively impact the community.
 Parente said public access to the beach should not be sacrificed over what she called law enforcement issues.

Access is partly what makes the beach so attractive to surfers, said Zack Swick as he changed into a wet suit Wednesday morning.
Swick, of Raymond, said the consistency of the surf makes the beach a good spot, but so does shoreline parking.
Changing next to Swick was Todd Swinton, a Portland resident who said he has been surfing for 20 years.
“The parking gets worse as the popularity grows,” Swinton said.
Swinton said he did not doubt Donovan’s accounts of surfers being inappropriate as they changed into wet suits, although he agreed with Parente that surfers generally wrap themselves in towels when they change and respect the community.
John Veltri, a member of the Higgins Beach Sign Committee, was one of three Higgins Beach residents to submit information to the council about  local parking. He contended parking ban dates should remain the same because of congestion at the beach on warm days in September and April.
“I can’t find a rationale to change it,” Veltri said of the parking ban.
While parking bans on Pine Point and Ferry Beach run from May 1 to Oct. 1, Veltri said changing dates on Higgins Beach for the sake of consistency is a bad idea.
Scott Whited, a South Portland resident who said he changes into his wet suit at home, supported a shorter parking ban.
“I want the surfers to be like hunters and be respectful,” he said. “This is about striking a balance.”
Veltri and Donovan also said they believe a compromise can be reached.
In the summer, surfing is prohibited from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Parente supports the ban. Parking is limited to a lot off Ocean Avenue with a $10 daily fee.
Parente said Surfriders Foundation is trying to raise money to help the town buy the lot.
Swinton said the Higgins Beach community and town need to realize the beach is an attraction people will visit.
“It seems like a fight sometimes,” Swinton said, and said residents on occasion have yelled at him. “There will always be people and surfers.”

Staff writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219