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| August 11, 2006 Barnstable Patriot |  |
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PWC group
calls for
turnout at
council
The foll owing letter to personal
watercraft users was issued late last
month after the proposed ban on the
launch of PWCs on Lake Wequaquet
was announced.
Dear PWC Owner,
The Town of Barnstable is propos-
ing a complete ban on the launching
of personal watercraft from the pub-
lic boat ramp on Wequaquet Lake
in Centerville. No other type of craft
are slated for regulation; only your
personal watercraft. Boating bigotry
is unacceptable.
At issue are alleged illegal ac-
tivities near the town boat ramp.
In fact, every complaint the town
offers is already against the law. In
essence , some members of the town
council are not interested in ad-
dressing the problem , rather, they
wish to pass more "feel good" regu-
lations to placate special interests,
instead of enforcing the current
laws.
When local government already
fails its duty to enforce the cur-
rent law, how is it possible they will
enforce new laws?
It boarders (sic ) on criminal,
when local officials attempt to use
"safety " as a cover to achieving a
political goal.
PWC owners need to attend the
public hearing August 17th to op-
pose this discriminatory action by
the Barnstable town council. The
hearing starts at 7:00 p.m. on the
second floor hearing room in Town
Hall, located at 367 Main Street in
Hyannis.
It is critical your voice is heard
on this basic freedom of access is-
sue. The anti's are depending on a
lack of involvement from the PWC
nation. If we show up in force , we'll
win. If not , then this is the begin-
ning of a chain of local bans that
will eradicate PWC access on the
Cape. Now is the time to step up
and make your voice heard.
Make sure you bring every rider
you know. Don 't forget family
members. Every voice of opposition
counts. Stand up for the Freedom
to Ride , and attend this critical
public hearing in Hyannis, Mass. at
7:00 pm on August 17th 2006.
Think Free , Live Free, Ride Free.
Chris Manthos
Executive Director
American Watercraft Association
Suggested PWC ban causing wake
State says its OK
needed to change
regulations
By David Still II
dstill@barnstablepatriot.com
DAVID STILL II PHOTOS
IN CONFLICT - On any given summer evening, users of personal watercraft can be seen operating in apparent violation of
state laws on Wequaquet Lake in Centerville. The question for the town council is whether a ban in launching PWCs from
the town-owned ramp is an appropriate response.
TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT - Some personal watercraft users operate in close
proximity to other lake users.
The proposed ban on launching
personal watercrafts at the town-
owned ramp on Lake Wequaquet
gets its hearing before the town
council next week, but it would
take more than town action to
implement.
Jack Sheppard, director of the
state's Office of Fishing and Boat-
ingAccess,saidthat amanagement
agreement between the town and
the state signed a dozen years ago
requires a sign-off by his office
before any change in regulations
could go into effect.
The proposal offered by Town
Councilor TomRugo of Centerville
seeksto prohibitlaunching,fueling
and retrievingpersonal watercraft
from the access ramp. Sheppard
said that the town cannot act uni-
laterallyonsuchaproposalbecause
of the agreement.
Beyond a ban, options include
regulating various areas of the
lake for different speeds and uses,
which would also require state
involvement.
Sheppard saidthat it'snot out of
the question for such aprohibition,
but there needs to be coordination
with his office. Until contacted by
the Patriot Wednesday morning,
Sheppard said he was unaware of
the proposal.
State law prohibits the kind of
use routinely seen at the ramp and
adjacent beach.Accordingto Shep-
pard,PWCs canbelaunched from a
ramp, but are only to return when
they are to be re-trailered. PWCs
are also not supposed to travel
at greater than headway speeds
within 300 feet of the ramp.
What happens, Sheppard said,
is that ramps often become bases
of operations for switching riders
and other activity. He also said
that such problems canbe handled
through enforcement of existing
regulations.
It is that type of activity at the
Wequaquet ramp, as well as the
operation of PWCs in proximity to
the bathingbeach,that Rugo seeks
to end with his proposal.
Rugo's proposal, which would
ban launching at the town ramp
but not the operation of PWCs on
the lake, is based on one adopted
by the Town of Harwich for Long
Pond, the Cap e's largest water
body. Sheppard said that the all of
the Harwich ramps aretown-owed
and carry no management agree-
ment with the state. That'snot the
case in Barnstable , he said.
"If people would obey the law,
there wouldn't be aproblem,"Shep-
pard said generally about issues
related to PWC use, which he said
generates a large portions of the
complaints he deals with.
"It'sahistorical type of conflict ,"
Sheppard said,"but there'snothing
new about it."
Big Turnout Expected
At this week's town council
agenda meeting, a strong turnout
for the Aug. 17 public hearing on
the proposal was anticipated.
Any proposed ban or restric-
tion of PWCs is closely monitored
by industry and user groups, and
this is no different. The Personal
Watercraft Industry Association
has taken up the issue and action
alerts have gone out from groups
includingthe American Watercraft
Association and the Jet Ski Asso-
ciation of Massachusetts.
While some comments posted on
PWCtoday.comare more militant in
their advocacy for riders,most PWC
users suggest that the problems
the ban attempts to solve are all
against the law and require simple
enforcement.
Rugo does not deny that a lack
of police presence is an issue with
regard to improper operation. He
saidthat regular police patrols have
been pulled off the lake because of
shortages in staffing.
Rugo said that he's also been
contacted by PWC owners with
property on the lake, indicating
that the launching ban would ad-
versely affect them. The town ramp
is the primary public access point
for the lake, although there remain
some private ramps, including the
Wequaquet Lake Yacht Club.
Comments posted on a message
board at www.pwctoday.com even
suggest that the ban at the ramp is
simply a ruse to get Brazilians off
the Lake. Rugo said that's simply
not the case, pointing to the eas-
ily observable violations regarding
the operation of PWCs at and near
the ramp.
Rugo said that his primary
issue is safety, for both the adja-
cent public bathing beach and on
Shootflying Hill Road , which turns
into astaging area for vehicles with
trailers.
Recreation Director David Curley
said that PWC use at the lake has
been a concern and riders some-
times have to be "whistled off" by
lifeguard staff for coming too close
to the bathing beach.
Curley saidthat aswith anything,
there are operators who obey the
regulations, and those who don't.
/Interior Trim
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