LIVERMORE — Selectpersons on Tuesday night took another step toward enforcing rules at Brettuns Pond beach following complaints of trash, hypodermic needles and feces littering the public area.

Selectpersons charged Administrative Assistant Aaron Miller with determining which has more clout — a policy or an ordinance — regarding beach use. Some selectpersons were hesitant to create another ordinance but all agreed more has to be done.

Selectperson Mark Chretien researched area towns with public beaches and all have ordinances, Selectperson Scott Richmond said. “We can’t enforce, we don’t have an ordinance; we have got to look into it,” he added.

Turner has a two-page ordinance, Hartford is working on updating theirs, Chretien said.

Selectperson Brett Deyling suggested looking at those as a guide for one in Livermore.

An ordinance could be voted on at the annual Town Meeting in April, Richmond said. “There’s no rush,” he noted.

Miller noted any changes to an ordinance would have to go before the legislative body for approval, a policy wouldn’t. He wondered which would “have more bite.”

“The last thing we want to do is shut that beach down,” Selectperson Randy Ouellette said.

There have been issues for years with people not cleaning up after themselves. At the last meeting, selectpersons considered closing the beach after more complaints were made.

Last year, the board approved beach use for residents and taxpayers only.

Selectpersons were invited to the Brettuns Pond Association’s annual meeting Aug. 24 to talk about the beach and the dam by association President Churchill Barton. He said he would seek formation of a committee to help keep the beach cleaned up.

“Don’t be afraid to step up,” Barton said.

One issue is nuisance Canada geese, he noted.

Nuisance geese are governed separate from other waterfowl, Barton said. Camp owners can harass the geese, which includes hitting them with sticks, chasing them with dogs, and applying for a special permit to shoot them and eat them, he said. The state is trying to shift control of problem geese to lake associations, he added.

Cameras owned by resident Chris Hobbs show people spending the night at the beach. He said he has had to pick hypodermic needles out of his yard and police have asked him about shining lights on the area.

“That’s not my job,” he said, adding he doesn’t want to post his property as suggested by the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office.

Deyling suggested asking Central Maine Power to install a motion-activated streetlight.

There used to be two lights there, Hobbs said.

“If we put lights up, (people) will just go further up (the road),” Ouellette said.

Another issue is loose dogs on the beach. “So many people let their dogs go,” Hobbs noted.

Deyling said he’s observed many people who don’t pick up after their dogs.

“We see less and less respect in this culture, there is more and more trash,” resident Dave Dion said. At Round Pond it was people from Auburn, at Brettuns it is people from all over, he noted.

If the town had an ordinance or policy, anyone driving by seeing something could call the police and report it, Deyling said. It could help shut down night activities, he noted.

Richmond spoke of mowers picking up two bags of trash at the beach on a Friday and being called with new complaints the following Monday.

“That’s terrible,” Dion said.

Fencing areas off or moving rocks were suggested.

Deyling spoke about volunteers being used at national parks to enforce rules. He suggested allowing someone to park at Brettuns for the summer in exchange for monitoring the beach.

“It is a hard problem to solve,” Deyling said.

In other business, the board, by consensus, agreed to a waiver for the town attorney with Bernstein Shur to review the solar array contract with ReVision Energy. If approved, entering the project signed by Jay, Livermore Falls and Wilton will reduce the town’s electrical costs.

Bernstein Shur represents ReVision in a matter unrelated in nature, Miller said. “I didn’t feel comfortable waiving that” and “wanted to discuss it with (the board),” he said.

There should be an opinion on the contract at the next meeting, Aug. 30, Miller said.

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