February 13, 2014 2:00 AM

Feb. 10 To the Editor:

We are writing with regard to Article 23, which will be on the ballot at the Town of Rye election on March 11. The article proposes beach activity permits for commercial activities on Rye's beaches.

We are in favor of public access to these beaches, but to ensure access, safety and enjoyment of the beaches for everyone, there has to be some town control over commercial beach activities. No controls on commercial beach usage will only increase the negative impact on everyone's safe enjoyment of the beaches. At Jenness State Beach and at Wallis Sands State Beach, the state of New Hampshire requires a special use permit for anyone seeking to use those beaches for commercial activity. If this is something that the state requires, and it has worked, why can't the town of Rye have a similar requirement?

The town of Rye, like all other towns, has an extensive list of controls for what can and cannot be done in town. There are zoning regulations, speed limits, parking restrictions, limits on the numbers of people that are permitted in public spaces, permit requirements for road and bicycle races, and even for fires on the beach. Zoning regulations, for instance, are not in place to prohibit persons from building in town; but when they do want to build, the restrictions are in place to set parameters as to what can be built in order to preserve the beauty of the town, enhance safety and not encroach on the rights of others. These other restrictions or permit requirements are not in place to prohibit the public from doing any of the above but to ensure that when they do choose to do one of these things, they must do so safely and not interfere with others.

Similar to the above examples, Article 23 would require a permit for commercial activities on Rye town beaches. Its purpose is not to prohibit all commercial activities on the beach; rather, its purpose is to ensure that when commercial activities are conducted, they will be done in a manner that does not interfere with the safe, enjoyable use of the beaches for everyone. The article only deals with commercial activity; it contains no restrictions whatsoever on the right to surf on Rye's beaches.

Proponents of Article 23, including us, are not attempting to put any commercial activities out of business. Instead, what we do advocate is for the town of Rye to have a minimum amount of control as to what commercial businesses can and cannot do on Rye's beaches. A permitting process will greatly help to ensure that the public's right to access and enjoy the beaches will not be hampered. We encourage Rye voters to vote for Article 23 on March 11.

Brenda and Frank McDermott

Rye

Original post:

We support permits for commercial activity at Rye beaches