Some GOOD news, All Angler Access

[Karl F]

September 15, 2005

All-angler accessible
By ERIC GERSHON
STAFF WRITER
OSTERVILLE - For a long time, fishing from the jetty at Dowses Beach was an awkward proposition for an angler in a wheelchair.

Basically, the determined fisherman would need a friend to guide him down the uneven surface of the rock jetty at East Bay and help him get settled on a flatish rock.

Absent the escort, there was no way to get close enough to the bluefish- and striper-rich waters.

''For disabled people, everything stopped at the parking lot for them,'' said Al Melcher, the 78-year-old leader of the Barnstable Disability Commission.

But the construction of Barnstable's first and only handicap-accessible fishing pier at Dowses has given disabled anglers a new measure of self-sufficiency. A ramp 85 feet long and 5 feet wide leads from the edge of the pavement over the sand and onto the 40-by-20-foot pier.

''It took my people almost 10 years to be able to do this,'' said Melcher, a Cotuit resident who walks with a cane because of a series of car accidents.

Melcher says the project cost $72,000, most of it generated one $50 parking citation at a time.

Fines paid by able drivers cited for parking in handicap spaces have been earmarked for disability commission projects.

The town recently raised the fine to $100 and began keeping half for the general fund, a sour development in Melcher's view.

At the moment, he is focused on the upcoming dedication of the new pier, scheduled to coincide with a fishing tournament from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the site.




''This area here is probably the best fishing spot in Barnstable,'' Melcher said yesterday, allowing that he doesn't fish much himself.

''Anything you do for the disabled benefits everybody,'' Melcher said.

Eric Gershon can be reached at

egershon@capecodonline.com.

(Published: September 15, 2005)

[RIROCKHOUND]

Thats awsome; any costal access that allows disabled individuals easy(ier) access is great! The pavillion in S. Kingstown (Town Beach) was built for easy disabled access, too far from the water to fish though that is slowly changing and we may eventually lose this if someone doesnt get off their backside and deal with it...

Most nice weekends there are at least 1 or 2 wheelchair bound inviduals fishing on the Goat I. Causeway, another grat access spot...

PS; do they make studed wheels (a la korkers)

[bassmaster]

[Uncle Matt]

Sounds funny but thumbs up to the town for doing the right thing. Too bad it took 10 years. Nonetheless, good job.





Oh yeah, boo for the town in the end for keeping half of the money now. Boo you should be ashamed!!!

[chris L]

what uncle matt said . its too bad the government has to ruin all the good they do by sqeezing money into their general fund , that they piss away on useless stuff . like male pages for all government upper crust .

[Nebe]

wow... thats great news
i wish we could get the jamestown bridge back down here

[BassyiusMaximus]

. . . wow, that was the jetty that my parents took us too every weekend in the summer when we would go down there. They would pack up all the food and my dad and I would bring our rods and our dozen seaworms when they were about $1.00 then and I'd stand on my favorite rock out there and catch scup after scup, no size or bag limit in the late 70's early 80's, and I'd see the blizes out there but was too young of age and didn't have the rod to cast out to where they were. It was an awesome jetty and there would always be all kinds of people out there fishing, and the beach was nice too. At night people would show up with thier flats of worms and lanterns and coolers, ready to spend the night as they said the Tautog would come out at night and that is what they were fishing for.

I'm glad they build something for disabled people so they could experience what we experience, and I hope that the fishing there is as good or better than it was when I was a youngin. I got all nostalgic when I read Dowses Beach as I didn't think there would be anyone on the World Wide Web who would ever mention Dowses. Good post!

[RNC]

Originally Posted by Nebe

wow... thats great news
i wish we could get the jamestown bridge back down here

I wish someone would just take the no fishing sign off,it'll be alot better.

[Bass Babe]

I hope that when I have access issues, someone will wheel me out to the water. Heck, they'd better strap me on like a backpack and plop me on a good rock in SoCo.

[vineyardblues]

great News

And we all thought the money went to a dougnut fund , right Matt ..lol

VB

[TheRattBoy]

Now if they would only get rid of the " town resident only " signs...

[Biteme]

I'm 5 minutes from Dowses Beach and it is a beautiful beach, and ramp. To bad it takes so long long to accomplish something so simple.

[macojoe]

Thats Great news!! But are you going to need a permit??

My wife is now wheelchair bound and we just got her a power chair from the Scooter Store.
In Aug. we went to the Canal for a walk on the fire rd and to cast a rod for a while.
Well we parked in a Handicap spot and unloaded the chair. And started are way down the the fire road. We got about 200 Yard's when a ranger stoped us and said "do you have a permit to ride that here" I said you have to be kidding! He said no it is a rule and that we can not continue are walk with out the permit!!
I said you have Handicap parking, Skateboards, roller blades, bikes, dogs, fisherman with knifes gaffs and what not, but a handicap person can't come here with out a permit!
Well I was pi$$ed to say the lest!
So he said you have to leave, I said sorry we can't, he said why not? I said we can not use the chair on the fire rd and she can't walk there.
Now he goes on to say that I was being a jerk and that if we did not leave we would be arrested!
So for my wife sake i left. She has since called the army core office and now has a permit, and has to renew it every year!

[Ottoluna]

f'in gov't

[tynan19]

That is great news for these people to enjoy what we take for granted. Joe I wouldn't have left.

[Bazza]

Thats great news about the ramp. The fish pier came out great, and even has a couple "bait cutting" tables built into it for wheelchair access. Too bad the town has upped the fines and taking half.