OLD ORCHARD BEACH — Last summer, a visitor to Old Orchard Beach called the town hall to ask if the town had a beach wheelchair available for her severely disabled son to use to go to the beach.
The town was unable to provide a chair, said Assistant Town Manager V. Louise Reid, but she called Lifeguard Capt. Keith Willett and explained the situation to him. Reid said four lifeguards carried the boy in a wheelchair down to the ocean and later back off the sand three times.
Another mother with a disabled child wrote the town hall in July. The woman, Pam Menton, of Glenville, New York, said she was planning a trip to Old Orchard Beach and was upset to hear that there were no beach wheelchairs available.
She said her family has visited beaches in New Jersey and New Hampshire where such chairs are available for use for free.
Menton, in her letter, suggested the town consider purchasing such a beach wheelchair.
“I would think that they would pay for themselves rather quickly since it would be a great asset for tourists who are spending money in town,” wrote Menton.
Town Manager Larry Mead forwarded her letter to Recreation Director Jason Webber.
Webber, who is a member of the Rotary Club of Saco Bay, contacted the organization, which agreed to donate more than $1,000 to the town for the purchase of a beach wheel chair.
“We were happy to do this,” said Saco Bay Rotary President Christopher Jacques at a town council meeting Tuesday night. “It sounded like a great project.”
Councilor Shawn O’Neill said the town was “long overdue” to be able to provide this service.
“We have the most beautiful and the best beach in New England, and now everyone can enjoy it,” said Webber.
He said he is contacting over civic organizations to see about getting an additional chair donated.
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less