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Date: 7/11/2023
WHATELY — Diane Kolakoski, Ken Cuddeback and Patricia Anne Pirog, members of the Tri Town Beach Commission, met under the pavilion last week, recently updated with new wiring. Electrical work is one of many improvements at the local swimming hole, which also sports a brand new dock.
“Last year we had a lot of organizations that helped us get up and running because we did a lot of improvements around here, including bringing all the wiring up to code,” Pirog said. “It’s all up to code, all the receptacles, all the outlets … [And] we cut our expenses by going with LED lighting, both here and in the bathroom.”
The bathhouse has hot water, a major effort this year, and an exterior filter system for the drinking water. Another new addition, still shiny, is a floating dock. The old dock was made out of wood and had lost several flotation barrels. It needed too much work, so volunteers demolished it.
“We never opened it last summer,” Cuddeback said of the old dock. “The floating ones seemed to be the best, especially with the size of the area we’re going to ultimately encompass.”
The new floating platform cost $9,200, measures 10 by 15 feet and is double anchored to the bottom. The piece may also anchor an ambitious plan to install docks in an L-shape extending from the west to the south shore. The long range plan is to install docks to enclose the swimming area and create a safer space for bathers.
Pirog recalled the rope and buoy systems used to delineate swimming areas in the past. She preferred something more substantial, like a dock, that swimmers could grab onto, to stay afloat. The dock system will be a major fundraising effort and take some years to realize.
“Enclose in the swim area, then you have much more surface for individuals to swim off of and swim to,” Pirog said. “It also becomes better in terms of rescue because your rescue efforts are quicker. Your response time is faster.”
Cuddeback said the boundaries of the swimming area were 490 linear feet, 275 feet on the northern rope and 215 feet on the eastern boundary. TTB Commission members knew a dock system that large would cost too much and take too many years of fundraising. Cuddeback estimated a total of 200 to 250 linear feet of docking will complete the new plan, though usage by groups suggests that more space is needed, not less.
“We’re setting off areas, so we need the extra space that we currently have outlined,” Cuddeback said. “It’s going to be a long term project.”
The new dock system will ease the mechanics of securing kayaks and paddleboards, still a popular activity at TTB. The popular Deerfield swimming program, run through the town, will also restart this year. The increase in user traffic is good news since the beach, closed for two years during the coronavirus pandemic, saw a drop in usage.
Pirog mentioned that camps are using TTB during the week, causing a further increase in traffic. Weekday camps help explain why more space is needed. Pirog is thrilled by the renewed interest. Forty season passes were sold.
“I’m surprised, happy and amazed about the number of passes that we’ve sold this year already, even with the rain,” Pirog said. “Last year we exceeded anything we thought we were going to, when it comes to the numbers of passes and people that came in here…It keeps our folks busy, especially on the nicer days like this.”
Cuddeback said TTB is financed by the town of Whately for $8,131 and the town of Deerfield for $27,220. Conway, Hatfield and Sunderland also use the beach and swim area, which is not open to the general public. What revenues are generated by selling passes and usage fees go to buy new equipment for the lifeguards and new updates for the facility.
Pirog praised local businesses that volunteered time to address issues at the TTB, Galenski Landscaping, Gorey Fabrication and Jankowski Plumbing.
“We also have a lot of organizations that donate their time to help us out here,” Pirog said. “If we didn’t have that our expenses would be significantly more.”
TriTown Beach is located on Old State Road, between exits 35 and 36 on Interstate 91.