Trampolines Hidden In Dunes? Town Removes Apparent Social Media Stunt

CHATHAM – An apparent attempt to go viral on social media resulted in town staff having to haul two trampolines out of the dunes at Harding’s Beach.

 The two trampolines were secreted behind the dunes east of the second parking lot at the popular beach for perhaps as long as three months, unnoticed by town officials and most beachgoers.

 By the time public works staff removed the two large trampolines last week, all that remained of one was its metal frame while the jumping mat of the other had been slashed and rendered unusable. 

 How the trampolines got into a hollow between the dunes remains unclear. The website of a Fairhaven radio station quotes a local resident claiming responsibility, saying their presence was originally intended to be secret but that word got out and the trampolines soon went viral on social media. The Chronicle could not independently verify the report.

 Placement of the trampolines in the dunes — considered fragile habitat — likely violated several wetlands regulations as well as town beach rules and regulations.

 The trampolines escaped the notice of town officials. Park and recreation commissioners and Beach and Recreation Deputy Director Aimee Howell said they were not aware of the situation until last week.

 But the trampolines did not go totally unnoticed. Resident Mania Hardy filed a complaint about them with the police department in early June. Deputy Police Chief Lou Malzone confirmed the complaint and said that the park and recreation department was notified. Who received that notification is unclear; Howell said no one in her division received it, and it may have gone instead to the separate parks division.

 Last Thursday, July 31 a crew from the public works department drove the quarter to half mile from the second parking lot to where the trampolines were located behind the dunes on the Oyster River side of the barrier beach. Both trampolines appeared to be about 10 to 12 feet in diameter, the sort of trampoline that many people have at their homes, said DPW Deputy Director Tom Barr.

 The crew used a saw to cut up the frames, which were taken to the transfer station for disposal, Barr said.

 Charred driftwood around the area seemed to indicate that there had been a fire at the site, he added.

 In an email, Hardy said there was only one trampoline in the dunes when she initially made her complaint. She did not know when the second trampoline arrived.

 She said she was concerned about shorebirds that nest in the dunes as well as potential town liability.

 “The area looks like the metal pile at the town transfer station,” she wrote. “This is unacceptable for the town to have let this go for over two months.”

 The trampolines apparently made a splash on social media after they were placed in the dunes in May. According to a story on the website of radio station WFHN of Fairhaven, which bills itself as “Fun 107,” a local resident and his brother put the trampolines on the beach and posted photos to Instagram. The resident was quoted as saying that the first trampoline was brought out to the beach at twilight, to escape attention, and that town officials knew nothing about it.

 That was confirmed by park and recreation commission chair Meredith Fry, who said an email from The Chronicle about the situation was the first she’s heard of it. Other park commissioners also said they were unaware of the trampolines being on the beach.

 The story on the radio station website quoted the individual as saying the intention was for the trampolines to remain secret, but that word got out and they “went viral on social media.”

 The individual quoted in the story did not reply to an email seeking comment. His name is not being used because The Chronicle could not independently confirm the report.