By Carol Britton Meyer

The select board approved Temple Beth Sholom’s request to allow beach-season parking for up to 50 cars at 600 Nantasket Avenue with several conditions, including that the lot may not be used for that purpose until the nearby Coburn Street access path safety issues are resolved.

THE BEACH ACCESS PATH AT COBURN STREET, WHICH IS IN NEED OF SAFETY UPGRADES.

The beach management advisory committee met prior to this week’s board meeting, according to Chair Susan Mann, who is also a member of the plover ambassador committee.

“During that meeting, I brought up an issue regarding the Coburn Beach path, which has deteriorated and is a considerable safety hazard,” she told the board this week. “There’s a two-foot drop from the old concrete seawall. It’s pretty dangerous for people with kids and beach carts.”

Other conditions linked to the parking permit include that the temple distribute an educational flier about protecting the piping plovers in the area, provided by the beach management advisory committee, and will post signs directing beachgoers to other access points that are more navigable until the Coburn Street path is fixed.

Mann noticed the item on Wednesday’s select board agenda regarding the temple’s request and sent a letter to the board with photos showing the condition of the access path. This concern prompted Mann to recommend that the Coburn Street access path be closed until repairs are made.

“This is town property, and someone could get hurt,” she said, also noting that the Warren Street path has similar issues.

Climate Adaptation & Conservation Department Director Chris Krahforst – who also attended the meeting – agreed that the path is “in dire need of repair” and explained that his department is attempting to get the work done in the near future.

The project has been stalled in the process of working with state agencies, including the Natural Heritage program that’s involved with protecting threatened species such as piping plovers, but Krahforst said the conservation department may issue an emergency request to get the work done by the town’s department of public works as soon as possible.

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