Mass. Beaches Are Imperiled By Budget Cuts

A new report warns that improvements to some beaches in the metropolitan Boston area could be threatened by budget and staffing cuts to the state agency overseeing them.

A draft report by the Metropolitan Beaches Commission obtained by The Associated Press is calling for the hiring of more full-time and seasonal employees, from beach managers to workers who help clean the sand.

The report also offers ways to improve the seaside experience, including instituting trolley shuttle services to some beaches, allowing kayak rentals and enhancing bicycle and pedestrian connections between beaches.

Co-chairman and state Sen. Thomas McGee says many beaches were in rough shape before the commission issued its first recommendations in 2007. He says the state was able to make progress and shouldn't let those improvements slip away.