Narragansett rejects increase for beach parking fees, but time limits will apply in Pier

Most beachgoers won't see a price increase at Narragansett Town Beach this summer.

A motion to increase weekday parking rates from $10 to $15 was voted down 3-2 at the Narragansett Town Council's Tuesday night meeting. Weekend parking rates will also remain steady at $15, and the beach admission fee will stay at $12.

"I don't look at the beach as a business," said councilwoman Susan Cicilline-Buonanno, who was one of the three councilors to vote against increasing the cost of weekday parking. "I see it as more of a recreational space that should break even."

There's also good news for people who prefer to go to the beach after hours, which costs nothing at all: The beach will "close" at 6 p.m. instead of 7 p.m. (That means that the beach is unstaffed and there are no lifeguards on duty – not that public access is prohibited.)

What about parking in the Pier area?

Last summer, the Town Council passed an ordinance limiting parking along Ocean Road and on many of the streets in the Narragansett Pier area to three hours at a time.

That change, which was controversial, currently can't be enforced because there are no signs alerting people about the restrictions.

`14 years of horror': Building a library divided Narragansett. Now, what to name it?

The council voted on Tuesday to approve spending $3,485 on those signs. Town Manager James Tierney said that Narragansett just needs to get final approval from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation to install the signs along Ocean Road, which is a state road.

While some have suggested on social media that parking meters could be next, councilwoman Deb Kopech said that the council "never, ever, ever" plans to do that. Council president Ewa Dzwierzynski also pushed back against suggestions that parking signs would be placed along the seawall, blocking the view.

Why did Narragansett want to increase parking costs?

Early calculations suggest that beach revenue took a hit last year, Parks and Recreation Director Michelle Kershaw said at a November work session.

The proposed price increase for parking on weekdays was expected to generate an additional $45,000 per year.

Beach bum blues: Rain, beach closings have made it a tough summer for beach lovers

Narragansett Town Beach operates as an enterprise fund, and no town taxes are used to cover beach expenses. One of out every three people who use the beach is not a town resident, Kershaw said.

Activists see increased fees as a way to make the beach more exclusive and keep out non-residents, while those in favor of raising prices say that they need to be able to make improvements and repairs to beach facilities without draining the enterprise fund.

"The margins have gotten very, very thin," Recreation Advisory Board chair Dennis Lynch said at the work session, noting that, as with everything, costs have gone up.

At Tuesday's meeting, however, some council members noted that the summer of 2023 had been particularly rainy and said they didn't feel comfortable increasing parking costs without final revenue numbers.

Prices will be increasing in one area: People with coveted cabanas and lockers at Narragansett Town Beach will see a 20% increase in rental fees this summer, which is projected to generate $96,830 per year. That change was approved in January.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Increase in parking costs for Narragansett Town Beach rejected