Unprecedented crowds force postponement of wakesurfing vote

KENT — Residents arrived in droves to a town meeting on the evening of June 27 to vote on a controversial ordinance that would ban wakesurfing on Lake Waramaug — so many that it forced First Selectman Marty Lindenmayer to disband the meeting before a vote could be held, citing public safety and fairness concerns.

Would-be attendees were still flooding into the line outside the doors when Lindenmayer announced to the already packed room that the meeting would be postponed until the town could find a way to fairly and safely account for the vote of each resident who wished to cast a ballot. Fire Marshall Timothy Limbos determined the building would breach maximum capacity and could not accommodate the crowd.

The major ticket item of the evening was a vote on a highly polemic ordinance that would effectively ban wakesurfing on the lake, a sport that requires boats to produce wakes large enough that the surfer is able to ride the wave under its own power. An ordinance regarding the regulation of open burning and another regulating fire alarm systems were also meant to be voted on at the meeting.

Many residents expressed they had never seen such a throng at Town Hall votes — “even for a presidential,” said Richard Welsh as he waited in line before Lindenmayer made the call.

Lindenmayer said previous meeting turnout on the issue in Kent led him to believe the meeting room at Town Hall could handle the numbers. A public hearing held on June 17 had only filled about half the seats, and Lindenmayer said they had set out even more chairs for the vote. Still, the room was far from able to host the masses that turned out.

Several locals said the high turnout should have been anticipated given the buzz surrounding the highly contentious topic. For the past several weeks, yard signs have been popping up beside Kent streets urging residents to vote either yes or no on the ordinance.

One sign campaign in favor of the proposed ordinance features the phrase “Big Waves = ...” followed by one of a number of possible risks associated with the activity: “Choppy Water Skiing,” “Swamped Boats,” “Dangerous Docks” and “Harm to our Lake.” Issues of public safety and the ecological health of the lake have been key talking points in previous public meetings surrounding the proposed regulation of the sport.

Other signs are against the ban, arguing for other restrictive measures that don’t go as far as a full-on ban. “Wave Restrictions Work,” reads one. Another sign echoes a “freedom of recreation” sentiment expressed by many who have opposed banning the sport: “Share the Lake.”

The opinion of the energized crowd on Friday evening was difficult to determine without a vote, however, many residents were vocal in their desire to see the ordinance passed. Welsh, who enjoys fishing on Lake Waramaug, said that he felt the lake is simply too small, and too shallow, for the sport.

“They’re absolutely going to affect the lake bottom,” he said of the large waves generated while wakesurfing. A disruption of the sediment at the lake’s bottom, which is said to contain phosphates that may cause potentially harmful algal blooms if disturbed, has been widely posited as a reason to limit large wakes on the lake.

Several other attendees, however, who wished to remain anonymous, felt that the town leadership was overstepping by regulating the sport.

After Lindenmayer ordered the postponement, he said that the Board of Selectmen would discuss on Tuesday, June 31 how to best organize the vote so that each resident who wishes to participate may do so fairly and safely. He said that changing the venue to the higher-capacity Community Center or Kent Center School were viable options, as was calling for a referendum.

As the crowd dispersed outside Town Hall, the atmosphere grew tense. Lindenmayer and New Preston Resident John Amster traded words. Amster, who spoke against the ordinance at the June 17 hearing, pays taxes in Kent through property owned by a trust, which Kent does not consider adequate voter criteria.

After a heated exchange, the two men separated and the masses began to fizzle in earnest, holding their votes for another day. No new date had been set as of June 30.

In order to take effect, the ordinance must be approved by Kent, Warren and Washington residents, as the lake is situated at the border of the three towns.