By David Harry

Staff Writer

A proposed plan to create a new public access to Pine Point Beach drew a hearty endorsement Monday from the Planning Board.

 “There are so many very positive things about this,” said Chairman Allen Paul. “I view this as a way to for the rest of the town to know there is public access.”

Paul and board members Richard Sullivan, John Chamberlain and Ronald Mazer said there was little they would change about the plan to create a drop-off zone and walkway to the beach. They are required by town charter to give an opinion because it is on town-owned land.

The proposed access area sits on a quarter-acre parcel between the Lighthouse Inn and Beachwalk subdivision near the confluence of Pine Point Road, King Street and East Grand Avenue.

Town Manager Tom Hall told board members he’ll likely ask for council approval April 7.

The drop-off zone and path to the beach could be included as part of a plan to narrow lanes and add sidewalks to Pine Point Road as it curves from East Grand Avenue to meet King Street.

Hall said he hopes a $170,000 road project that is part of the capital improvement bond will cost less than anticipated and free up about $30,000 for the beach access project, which could be completed by Memorial Day.

The estimated cost includes split-rail fencing, shrubs and perennials planted beside the concrete path, bicycle racks, granite benches and the drop-off zone to accommodate two vehicles.

The path to the beach will replace Depot Street, a town road that ran between the Lighthouse Inn and its parking lot before the road was discontinued and the land swapped with inn owners Peter and Nicholas Truman.

The land swap that created a spoon-shaped parcel of town land was hard to swallow for members of the Pine Point Resident’s Association, who argued the trade amounted to a gift to the Trumans and the loss of a centuries-old town road. Five association members pressed the planning board to add conditions to the proposed beach access plan.

The most consistent request came from Judy Shirk, Sue Perrino and Arlene Hurd, who asked the town to remove the stone wall built into the town right of way outside the Lighthouse Inn.

 The wall and planter it holds present a hazard, they argued, because vehicles emerging from the proposed drop-off zone will be forced into traffic too quickly.

“The drop-off zone is all we have left now that Depot Street is gone,” Shirk said.

The current plan includes removing a corner of the wall and planter.

“If I thought there was a public safety problem, we would not be having this conversation,” Hall said.

Paul said that while a portion of the wall will encourage drivers to merge more quickly into traffic, he urged crosswalks created in the area be made from raised materials instead of paint that might fade in time.

“I do understand how people who have lived in there a long time will see this as a significant change,” Paul said. He said his perspective differs because in the decades he has lived in town he was unaware Depot Street was an access route to Pine Point Beach.

Board member John Chamberlain agreed with Paul’s assertion the plan would benefit the whole town.

“This is a great enhancement to what was there before,” he said.

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