Chatham To Take Credit Cards At Beaches; Nonresident Beach Fees Increased

CHATHAM – For the first time, the town will accept credit cards at its beaches this summer.

 To help cover the cost, as well as the need to raise salaries to attract qualified lifeguards, the cost of nonresident beach fees will go up as of June 1.

 Community Services Deputy Director Aimee Howell said there’s been a growing demand from summer beachgoers to be able to pay daily, weekly or seasonal beach parking pass fees by credit card at beach gates. The costs of accepting credit cards include hardware and software, internet connectivity and ongoing costs such licenses and credit card fees, which she said the town will absorb.

 Along with cash and credit cards, beachgoers will be able to pay at the beaches using Apple Pay and Google Pay. 

 “This is pretty much the number one request we’ve gotten at the beaches,” she said of accepting electronic payments. The three beaches where nonresident parking passes are required are Harding’s Beach, Ridgevale Beach and Cockle Cove Beach

 All Cape towns struggle to recruit lifeguards every summer. This summer lifeguard salaries are increasing by 10 percent to remain competitive, Howell said. The increase in beach fees “will help offset those rising costs,” she said.

 The daily beach fee for nonresidents will increase from $20 to $30, the weekly rate will go from $75 to $90, and the seasonal rate will rise from $176 to $190. About 8,000 daily nonresident passes are sold every summer, along with more than 500 weekly passes and more than 50 seasonal passes. The hike is projected to generate about $95,000 in new revenue, said Howell. 

 Beach fees were last increased in 2016. Resident beach sticker fees will remain unchanged.

 Accepting credit cards will be more convenient for beachgoers and improve operating efficiency by reducing the need for controls over cash handling, she added.

 The new rates are equal to or higher than those charged in Harwich but lower than Orleans, Select Board Vice Chair Jeffrey Dykens noted at the board’s Feb. 10 meeting.

 “We’re still well within the market,” he said.

 The park and recreation commission endorsed the fee increase Feb. 2; the select board last week followed suit.