Vandalism, fights and littering cause Hathaway's Pond to close for two weeks

Sarah Carlon, Cape Cod Times
·2 min read

EDITOR NOTE: This story was updated on June 10, 2022 to reflect new information regarding a June 5, 2022 fight at Hathaway's Pond.

HYANNIS — Hathaway's Pond will be closed for the next two weekends due to vandalism, fights and littering, the town said in a Thursday press release.

The pond, off Phinney's Lane, will be closed from 5 p.m. on June 10 until 7:30 a.m. on June 13, and again from 5 p.m. on June 17 until 7:30 a.m. June 21, the release said.

Recent large gatherings have left trash and damaged structures and facilities at the pond, Lynne Poyant, the town's director of communications, said in an email. The public safety concern is due to recent fights that happened at Hathaway's as well.

Hathaway's Pond in Barnstable was the scene of an evening fight June 5 which has contributed to the town closing the area for two weekends.
Hathaway's Pond in Barnstable was the scene of an evening fight June 5 which has contributed to the town closing the area for two weekends.

Barnstable Police Chief Matthew Sonnabend said that a fight at the pond is partly why the pond is closing for the next two weekends.

On June 5 at approximately 8:30 p.m. Barnstable police responded to a call about a disturbance at the pond. When officers arrived, cars were already leaving, Sonnabend said, but 50 to 60 people remained at the beach.

More: Man taken to hospital after search of Hathaway's Pond

One person had non-life threatening injuries and was transported to Cape Cod Hospital, he said.

Barnstable police are still investigating the cause of the fight, but Sonnabend anticipates that arrests will be made concerning the incident.

While the June 5 fight is partly why Hathaway’s is closed for the next two weekends, Sonnabend echoed Poyant’s concerns over trash and vandalism to the beach and its facilities.

More: Scuba diver dies at Hathaway's Pond

“We don’t get (fighting) here very often,” he said. “We’re just trying to do this (closing the beach) with as minimal impact to the community, but as safely as possible.”

Another component is a staffing shortage within the town. The town is hiring summer employees, but won’t have sufficient people to keep Hathaway’s open on the weekends safely until June 25, Sonnabend said.

Barnstable police will be monitoring the area during the closure as well.

Hathaway's will open back up from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. seven days a week after June 25, according to Poyant.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Hathaway's Pond in Barnstable closed for two weeks due to safety concerns