Old Lyme — Resident State Trooper Matt Weber this week ticked off a list of reasons behind the cutback in hours he'd like to see for the public parking lot at Sound View Beach.

Public intoxication. Urination. Fornication. The filming of a pornographic video he said was reported by a neighbor. Portable restrooms being set on fire. Fights. And lots of litter.

He said all of these things have occurred in the public parking lot itself, which he'd like to see close an hour earlier.  

The posted hours for the municipal parking lot are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., with the gate closed at 7:30 p.m. and tickets being issued after 8 p.m. But some residents and businesses already have complained the gate is sometimes closed earlier than that, or not opened at all on some days.

According to several Sound View business owners, the town's effort to keep out unruly individuals by restricting hours in the parking lot makes it so that residents — many of them families with children — can't find parking, either. That means they can't get an Italian ice at Vecchitto's, take a ride on The Carousel or play games at Captain Video Arcade.

Weber blamed all the bad behavior on customers from the Pavilion, a beachfront bar that closes at 7 p.m. on weekdays and 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

"People start spilling out of The Pavilion that we have to monitor," he said.

First Selectman Tim Griswold at Monday evening's Board of Selectmen's meeting said Weber wants the lot closed at 7 p.m. Griswold told his two fellow selectmen that the issue would be put on the agenda for the next meeting on Aug. 2, so that the selectmen could officially vote on whether or not to cut back hours.

But Weber on Tuesday told The Day a decision had been made the day before, prior to the selectmen's meeting, to close the lot at 7 p.m. going forward. He said it was authorized by Griswold.

Then, shortly after speaking with The Day, Weber reached out to say the parking lot would remain open until 8 p.m. until further notice.

Griswold on Tuesday reiterated the issue will be decided by the three-member Board of Selectmen.

When asked by The Day why Weber was under the impression a decision had already been made, Griswold said "that group doesn't make the decision."

Griswold said he was referring to a group including Weber, Sound View Commission Chairman Frank Pappalardo and Sound View Commission alternate member Paul Orzel. The group has been meeting informally to discuss parking issues involving increased fees and updated hours, according to the first selectman.

The business perspective

The Pavilion's manager, Stephanie Livesey, said Tuesday she had not heard about a reduction in public parking lot hours being justified by problems with the bar's patrons.

"I wish there was a different way to address the issue rather than hurt other businesses," she said.

Three Sound View business owners said residents have complained to them about the parking lot being closed when it should be open.

Ann Vecchitto, whose family has run Hartford Avenue's popular Italian ice stand since the 1940s, said she observed the lot closed one day that started out rainy but turned into a beautiful beach day.

"It's horrible for our business," she said.

She described it as a symptom of a bigger problem that has reduced parking options in the area over time. She said there used to be parking on both sides of the street in front of her shop, though sidewalks widened through a 2018 streetscape improvement project and this year's conversion of two spots across the street into golf cart spaces has changed that.

She said it's hard for the area's few business owners to get their point of view across because "when the powers that be make the decisions, we're not really consulted."

The streetscape project also included curb extensions that cut down on the number of available parking spaces and created a hazard, according to Vecchitto.

She said a woman recently fell off her bike when it hit the bump-out in front of the Italian ice stand and injured her face.

Dee Vowles, who owns the popular merry-go-round and its attendant shops with her husband, Jerry, said she's heard the same complaints from local residents who can't park in the town lot.

Like Vecchitto, she said the small number of business owners in the area makes it hard to band together to advocate for themselves and their customers.

"If they want to close the lot, they close the lot," she said of town officials.

Vowles said when she has complained to officials regarding parking issues, such as limiting access to the lot or closing the Portland Avenue gate, she has been told the decisions were made by the police.

"Who's running the town," she said. "The police?"

Vowles also had concerns about the bump-outs as another factor in reduced parking options. "It took away parking spaces," she said. "The bottom line is, the less parking, the less people."

Dino Dinino, who runs Captain Video Arcade and whose wife runs the adjacent Crepes on the Corner, said he's been in town for 20 years.

"Every year, they kept cutting back on the parking in general," he said. He said the rationale was to curb bar traffic but "choking off" the spots has hurt the mom-and-pop shops instead.

In posts on the People of Old Lyme Facebook page going back to the beginning of the month, people have raised concerns about the lot's restrictive hours. One commenter wondered why the town is selling parking passes for a lot that is "never open." Others pointed out the lot used to be open until 9 p.m. prior to the coronavirus pandemic.

Weber, the resident state trooper, said there are 17 town parking spaces on the street that can be used when the public lot is closed. He said people also can use the private lot behind The Carousel that is managed by the Vowles. That lot, owned by Joe Martino, rents out half its space to the beachfront Kokomo's Restaurant.

Weber said the gate also is closed when the lot reaches capacity. He also said when the lot is closed for inclement weather, "it depends" whether it gets reopened or not.

Jerry Vowles, of The Carousel, said most of the customers at the merry-go-round are families with kids, though he has had some unruly people who want to take a spin.

But restricting access for those deemed "bad actors" means restricting access for all, according to Vowles. He said he can understand the points raised by officials in favor of more limited parking options — "but their point isn't fair."

"I can't put up a sign that says 'only nice kids allowed,'" he said.

More discussion needed

Griswold on Tuesday described the topic of parking lot hours as an important one for the area, as is the idea of increased parking fees that he said also will be discussed at the next meeting.

Both Sound View Commission Chairman Frank Pappalardo and Miami Beach Association President Mark Mongillo earlier this month told the selectmen the town should make it more expensive for out-of-towners to park at the free beach — by increasing rates in spots owned by the town and raising permit fees for private parking lots.

Miami Beach is adjacent to Sound View Beach and has been considered public since the 1880s, when developer Henry Hilliard deeded what was then referred to as Long Island Avenue to the "unorganized general public." Its status is the subject of ongoing litigation, as the Miami Beach Association and Sound View resident Kathleen Tracey dispute whether or not the association has the right to erect a fence and charge a "clean beach fee."

Mongillo has said the association spends about $40,000 to $45,000 per year on beach security and $13,000 on cleaning the beach, with the town covering about $20,000 through a stipend given to the chartered beach communities within Old Lyme's borders.

Some of the numbers thrown around by Pappalardo in the pair's presentation to the selectmen included nonresidents paying "upwards of $40 for a two-hour block" from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends and $15 for a two-hour block during the same time period on weekdays. He suggested evening rates could be set at $10 an hour on weekends.

Griswold said the discussion is separate from, but related to, the discussion about the town parking lot hours.

"It's justifiable to say that extra parking contributes to the costs they incur for which they have no off-setting revenue," he said of the Miami Beach Association.

Griswold also described the crowds as a public safety issue, citing an incident during which an officer was injured.

Weber said Old Lyme police Officer Sal Milardo on July 4 was handcuffing an intoxicated person accused of assaulting a staff member at The Pavilion when the officer was punched in the face. Milardo remains out of work as he recovers from surgery on his broken nose, according to Weber.

Until the Aug. 2 selectmen's meeting at least, Griswold and Weber said the public parking should remain on the current schedule, with gates closing at 7:30 p.m.

e.regan@theday.com