(Patrick D. Rosso/Boston.com/2013)

Swimmers headed into the waters of Tenean Beach during the annual Brian Leahy Memorial Polar Bear Plunge.

By Patrick D. Rosso, Town Correspondent

Dorchester residents praised their neighborhood's waterfront, from Tenean Beach to Savin Hill Cove, at a Wednesday meeting of the Metropolitan Beaches Commission, but they also saw room for improvement.

Formed in 2006 by the Massachusetts Legislature and made up of non-profit leaders, residents, and elected officials, the commission evaluates and critiques Department of Conservation and Recreation managed beaches from Nahant to Nantasket. It released its first report in 2007 and is now working on a follow-up, which will provide recommendations for ways to improve the recreation areas.

The 2007 report analyzed conditions at the Malibu/Savin Hill and Tenean Beaches, and concluded that the beaches are important community gathering places, that they are getting cleaner, and that they are easily accessible from public transportation.

The 2007 report, however, found that there were issues with contamination after storms, maintenance of existing facilities was lacking, and there was a need for better police enforcement.

Many at Wednesdays meeting said the beaches have been improving, but that there are still concerns about water quality, safety, and facilities.

The Save the Harbor Save the Bay 2013 Beaches Report Card found Malibu Beach in the middle of the pack when it came to overall water safety in 2012.

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At Metropolitan Beaches Commission meeting locals praise Dorchester's beaches