Gap Leaves Gatherings On North Beach Unregulated

CHATHAM – Gatherings of more than 20 people on North Beach Island require a special permit from the police department. Parties, weddings and similar gatherings on other town beaches are regulated by the park and recreation commission.

But North Beach, as the portion of Nauset Beach that extends into Chatham is known, is not covered by the regulations governing large gatherings. That’s an oversight that officials hope to correct.

The issue came to light with a recent request to hold a wedding on the outer beach in August. 

The town currently has an agreement to enforce the Orleans Nauset Beach rules and regulations, which govern vehicle use and other aspects of the beach, on Chatham’s section of the barrier beach. Those regulations don’t govern weddings and similar gatherings, however; those are addressed in the Orleans park regulations, which don’t apply over the town line on Chatham’s portion of the beach.

The southernmost section of the beach is also the most popular spot, where campers and other vehicles tend to congregate.

“During the summer, the end of this beach is just packed full of people,” said Select Board member Shareen Davis.

On April 5, Natural Resources Director Greg Berman presented the board with several options to correct the situation. The seven options include adopting Chatham regulations for North Beach that mirror the Orleans park regulations, developing a specific permit process for events on the beach, putting a moratorium on events or prohibiting them completely.

“I don’t know if this is becoming more of a wedding spot now,” Berman said. “It seems to be building, so it would be good to get ahead of it.”

A significant concern with large events being held on the outer beach is responding to emergencies. Rescues pose a “significant challenge,” said Harbormaster Jason Holm, because it is the farthest point on the beach by vehicle and “near to impossible” to reach by boat because of shoaling. 

“It’s not an ideal area if there were to be an incident,” he said.

Mirroring the Orleans regulations might be the best approach, board members said. 

“I think the continuity issue is really important,” said Davis.

Given the concerns about access, it might be better to prohibit all large gatherings, said board member Cory Metters.

“I think we have to tread very carefully that we don’t put the town at risk,” he said. “We are clearly limited in timing and access to respond to these events.”

Vice Chair Jeffrey Dykens noted that the Orleans park regulations prohibit weddings on weekends from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The wedding request before the board is for a Saturday, so it would not be allowed under the Orleans regulations, said Chair Dean Nicastro.

The board agreed to ask staff to develop regulations that meet the concerns expressed at the meeting and bring a draft back to the select board. He also asked that the applicant for the wedding be informed that they may not be able to get a permit for the event.