By Hector Florin OCEAN RIDGE — Should dogs be prohibited from roaming private beaches? A kink in the town’s code forbids animals on public town beaches, but doesn’t specify all beaches, Commissioner Terry Brown said at the Mar. 2 meeting. “Virtually all of the beaches in Ocean Ridge are privately owned,” Brown said, but residents have approached him saying they’ve seen dogs, leading to various interpretations of the law. Town Attorney Ken Spillias said there would be complications in identifying what exactly constitutes private beachfront land and setting a demarcation line, but Brown asked the town to look at changing its code to clarify the situation. Signs along the public beaches state dogs aren’t allowed there. Some residents said many dogs appear on the beach during the winter population boom, and some waterfront homeowners allow their dogs to run down the sand for yards. The commission also discussed the following: • Employee bonuses: Granted initial approval to allow Town Manager Ken Schenck to work with town commissioners in setting standards to determine whether town employees qualify for performance-based bonuses. Under the ordinance, Schenck would evaluate which employees surpass standards to become eligible for bonuses, but the commissioners would decide whether to award the bonuses at all each year, as well as the amount. • No-see-um spraying: Informally decided to wait until the summertime budget process to see if no-see-um spraying will return. Commissioners Betty Bingham and Terry Brown mentioned allowing individual property owners to spray if they choose — and pay for it themselves — instead of having the town decide to reinstitute the weekly spraying. “The ones that want it ought to pay for it,” Brown said. However, scientists have shown that it is one of the more ineffective methods to curb the impact of the pest. “You can’t spray one house and expect there’s going to be an impact,” Mayor Ken Kaleel said. Added Brown, who said the spraying can harm “beneficial” insects like butterflies: “You're never going to get rid of no-see-ums.” Commissioners cut the $62,000 spraying contract with Clarke Mosquito Control in September to trim town expenses.
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