Bonnifield boat dock not serious hazard

To the editor:

Great News!! Last week City Council once again for the second time voted to open the beach at Bonnifield Lake/Waterworks Park. Better yet, Council reduced the restrictions on swimming. They ended the requirement to take a qualifying test in order to swim outside the roped off swimming area. That means no more tickets for swimming outside the boundaries. This is great news. A special thanks to Jeff Clawson ? our city administrator. He is fair, open, not emotional and willing to exchange ideas openly in the direction of improving the city. So, a big thanks to the Council, especially Michael Halley and Jeff Clawson, for recognizing the value and contribution that the beach makes with literally thousands of visits/uses for summer fun in Fairfield.

Unfortunately, the Council decided to remove the fishing/boating dock on the south end Waterworks Park on the recommendation of the Safety Committee and the city manager. This disappointing decision was based mostly on emotion without regard for the facts.

True, many people (kids mostly) were jumping and diving off the dock into the water. Not much swimming around, just jumping in. That is prohibited. However, removing the dock was supposed to be based on concerns about safety. The thing is, the safety problem at the dock is not greater then from the dangers of having swings in the parks, or accidents in baseball in the Babe Ruth League, or any other activity where someone could occasionally but very seldom get hurt.

1) There were no accidents during seven years the dock was in place.

2) There are no hazards in the water immediately surrounding the dock, except next to shore ? and those could easily be removed or fenced off.

3) The insurance agent for the National Association of Water Parks said he would leave the dock in and add proper signage.

4) Injuries that occur from diving generally occur in shallow water or off diving boards suspended above the water, not from docks floating on the water.

5) In addition, almost all ? that?s almost all ? diving related injuries occur in swimming pools, not in fresh water lakes, and that fact is according to a nationwide 17-year study.

6) From 21 years of personal experience at a freshwater lake with fishing and boating docks and hundreds of boys age 8-22, I can report not one single accident when supervised or unsupervised.

So where is the safety concern? Show us where the hazard is! The facts don?t support the claim that an excessive hazard exists by having a dock.

What really was accomplished by removing the dock is taking away a hang out spot for kids on the hot days. Where would we rather have them ? jumping off the dock at Waterworks, or driving too fast, possibly under the influence, or worse.

Cooling off at the beach ? or partying hard in private.

Taking out the dock is also a significant handicap for fisherman, boaters, canoeists and kayakers. It?s much harder to get in and out of their boats. The dock serves as an easy access point.

Removing the dock also wastes the thousands of dollars and volunteer time spent to buy it and put it in. I for one would like the Council to re-examine this decision and think again.

The dock should stay. It?s not a hazard and removing it is a significant handicap in many many ways. 

? Frank Wintroub, chairperson of the Committee to Develop Recreational Use of the Reservoirs