Woolwich selectmen want to improve the swimming area at the town park to mitigate conflicts between swimmers, sunbathers and boat users there. People use the boat launch and nearby dock to swim, instead of using the park's designated swimming area.

“I don't think any amount of signage will do any good,” Road Commissioner Jack Shaw told selectmen during their most recent meeting; the comment that prompted nods of agreement from board members.

Board Chairman David King said that in addition to sunbathers lying on the boat ramp and swimming off the dock there, people have been leaving dirty diapers, cigarette butts and other trash in the park and vandals have been busting up picnic tables. They hope to improve the area.

Woolwich Fire Chief Geoff McCarren said members of his crew had some trouble getting their boat down the ramp because sunbathers did not want to move. He said other boat users have had the same problem. 

Code enforcement officer Bruce Engert suggested that one probable reason why people have migrated over from the designated swimming area is because the water is deeper and cleaner in that area of the river. He said if the swimming area was just as or more attractive than the boat ramp area, more people would be likely to use it.

The town tried to improve the area in years past. According to King, they dumped some sand along the shore to make a beach, but officials from the Department of Environmental Protection made the town remove the sand. Instead, the town maintains the area and tries to keep it attractive for visitors. During Woolwich Day, many people enjoyed a barbecue and live music by the river's edge. Since then, swimmers have lounged there after cooling off in the brook.

Shaw said swimmers enjoy jumping from the dock next to the boat ramp, instead of wading into the water from shore in the swimming area.

“If we could put a floating ramp down there, I would be more than happy to set the anchors,” King said.

The swimming area had a floating dock in years past, according to Tracie Perow of Bath. She brought her four children down to the park on a hot August afternoon. “A lot of people come here,” she said. “We prefer the boat launch. At the swimming hole, you can go out up to your waist and then it drops off.”

The park is convenient for them. She said they like to visit Popham Beach, but the Woolwich town park is closer. 

Perow said her children use the dock to get into the water, but she said they move out of the way whenever someone wants to launch their boat. Perow said she has been coming to the town park for years, first with her parents and now with her own children and has only seen a few conflicts.

She thinks a floating dock would attract more people to the swimming area.

“It's a great place to swim,” she said. “And it's free.”

Selectmen hope to make the swimming area more attractive, but environmental concerns limit certain changes to the waterfront. Engert told selectmen he would contact someone from the DEP to see what could be done.