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August 24, 2008

Beach-goers bummed with closure

'Today was the perfect day to use the beach"

By LAUREN VILBERT

PLATTSBURGH -- After a rainy summer season, Plattsburgh finally saw some sun this past week.

Unfortunately, the Plattsburgh City Beach has been closed, and some people are upset.

The beach officially closed Aug. 17.

Franco Mastroianni travels from Montreal to use the City Beach when the weather is promising, he said.

"One of the main reasons why my friends and I come here is to use the beautiful lake," Mastroianni said.

Bernadine Diabo, from just outside of Montreal, came to Plattsburgh to use the lake and said many of her friends come specifically to go to the City Beach.

"When we got to the beach today, the police told us we had to leave. I know we can still go to the Naked Turtle or to Point au Roche to be near the lake; it is just disappointing that we can't use the beach," Diabo said.

"Today was the perfect day to use the beach," Nick Phifer, a student at Plattsburgh State, said Friday.

"But I understand that the beach would close early because no one would have thought that Plattsburgh would get nice weather at the end of August," he added.

"I predicted as soon as we closed the beach, we would get beautiful weather," Mayor Donald Kasprzak said.

The beach closed early this season because of several factors, he explained.

"We follow a seasonal budget with our summer help, and we have to live by that budget. Also, a lot of our seasonal help are in college and many went back to school early, so we had no lifeguards."

The beach made about $16,000 this summer, but it cost the city $30,000, Kasprzak said.

The weather has been the biggest obstacle that hurt beach use, said Steve Peters, city recreation director.

There has also been a frustration because the water level is at the highest it has ever been, he said.

"When there has been beach weather this summer, the water has been so high that there is hardly a beach, and there is also an issue with algae being washed up on the shore."

The mayor said he is aware that people are unhappy with the beach closing.

"But we are doing the best we can with the resources that we are given."

It has always been the policy to close the beach the third week in August, Kasprzak said.

He wants to address this issue at the budget sessions for next summer.

"Plattsburgh is the Lake City, and it is important that everyone be able to enjoy the lake," Peters said.

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