Stamford Recreation Committee Disputes Beach Parking Price Increase

Stamford's Recreation and Parks Committee approved a city operations application to increase beach parking permit prices with a 4-1-1 vote at the on Tuesday evening.

"We have a pretty good track record," Stamford Director of Operations Ernie Orgera told Patch in regards to his department's success rate in securing price increases for various city services. Orgera, stated throughout the meeting, which began at 7:30 p.m., that he felt an increase to beach parking permits was necessary for improving Stamford's .

Orgera projected a $6 million increase in revenue from the beach parking permit increase, and stated that the money does not only go towards upkeep of Stamford's shorefront parks, but also their staff.

"I've been at several public hearings on fee increases, and haven't seen public participation at all," Orgera told Patch. As in the past that Orgera described, virtually no residents attended the public hearing to speak for or against Orgera's application. 

"I'm the only one who actually voted in opposition to it tonight. I don't think it should be increased from $20 to $30, and the committee thought otherwise. So we'll go to the Board, though not on the consent agenda, and we'll see how it's argued before the Board," Parks and Recreation Committee chair Patrick White said.

White, who has expressed his disapproval of the beach parking permit increase on several occasions, stated that if Orgera's application had received a unanimous vote, it would be on the Board of Representatives consent agenda for approval rather than requiring a new vote by the full vote by the Board of Representatives.

"I can't support this proposal..I looked at it and said $20 is fair, and even $30 is probably fair, I don't think that's really the issue. I think the issue is that you pay for support of your beaches and your parks with your property taxes...we're a shorefront community, your property taxes are always going up," White said during the meeting. "I think this is one perk, in a sense, that we can give our city residents, by offering them a $20 parking pass."

In a , long-time Stamford mariner Bernie Weiss said that a increase on beach parking prices was a "small price to pay" for a better park.