As the summer season concludes, Ocean City Beach Patrol (OCBP) members continue to educate beachgoers on new tent and canopy regulations, with the hope that visitors will adjust their practices for next year.
As of Monday, the OCBP had made 9,000 contacts this summer regarding new restrictions on beach tents and canopies. However, Capt. Butch Arbin acknowledged the challenges of this summer’s educational campaign.
“The problem is every week you have a new crowd,” he said. “Every week we are starting the process all over again.”
This spring, the Ocean City Council passed legislation to ban all beach tents, with the exception of baby tents. The ordinance also prohibits beachgoers from erecting beach canopies before 10 a.m. and then leaving those canopies unattended; prohibits beach canopies larger than 10-by-10 feet; requires a 3-foot separation around a canopy’s perimeter; and requires the anchoring for such canopies to be contained within the canopy’s footprint.
Arbin said each morning, OCBP members patrol the beach for unattended canopies. Those canopies, he explained, are then tagged, providing the owner with information on the ordinance. As of this week, the beach patrol has placed roughly 1,550 tags on unattended structures.
“Most people just didn’t know,” he said of the offenders.
I’m old. Retired.bored.
I’d like to volunteer my services along with my pickup truck.
At 9 am each Saturday and Sunday I’ll start at 141st street and work my way down to the inlet parking lot. When I find an unattended “beach camp” I’ll toss it in the truck. When I get to the inlet, I’ll set up my own little impound lot, and folks can pay $50 to get their stuff back. All the money I make will go to local charities.
Sound fun? Any takers?
(Before anyone gets wound up, I’m being sarcastic. I can barely get to my truck most days!)