Public Safety & Health Committee Meeting – June 25, 2026
Public Safety & Health Committee Meeting – June 25, 2026
The Public Safety & Health Committee of the Stamford Board of Representatives met remotely on Thursday, June 25, 2026, at 6:31 p.m., chaired by Rep. Tom Bouchard. Vice Chair Terry Adams and members Reps. Didelot, Field, Graham, Morson, and Walston were present. The committee reviewed two agenda items: an overview of personal watercraft regulations and enforcement (PS32.008), and an overview of Stamford Park Police enforcement of quality-of-life issues in parks (PS32.009). Invited guests included Kevin Murray (Parks & Recreation), Kevin Fitzgibbons (Police Harbor Unit), Peter Gould (Park Police Coordinator), Christopher Baker (Police Captain), and Evan Weiss (Vincent Island Stamford LLC).
PS32.008: Personal Watercraft Regulations and Enforcement
- Evan Weiss presented a three-part safety proposal for Westcott Cove: marking two unmarked submerged hazards (GPS coordinates provided), improving signage at West Beach boat ramp with clear maps and rules, and redefining slow/no-wake zones to reduce ambiguity and enhance safety. He noted that personal watercraft (PWCs) can reach 75 mph and that noise levels comparable to leaf blowers impact nearby residents.
- Sgt. Kevin Fitzgibbons described enforcement practices: daily patrols, checking registrations and safety equipment at the ramp, issuing $150 tickets for speed violations, and educating operators using pamphlets. He explained that 90% of Long Island fatalities involve paddlecraft, not PWCs, and many PWC operators are legal.
- Committee members asked about expanding no-wake zones. Sgt. Fitzgibbons noted that changes require approval from the U.S. Coast Guard and NOAA, a time-consuming process. Rep. Shore inquired about marking the 200-foot no-wake boundary on the eastern side; Fitzgibbons clarified that any official marking must go through state and federal processes.
- Weiss also raised the idea of requiring insurance for ramp permits (as Greenwich does) to protect the city from liability in case of accidents.
- Discussion highlighted that the West Beach ramp is the busiest and that enforcement focuses on education and engineering before enforcement.
PS32.009: Park Police and Quality-of-Life Enforcement
- Park Police Coordinator Peter Gould reported that the department has shrunk from 31 officers in 1979 to currently two (one full-time, one part-time), with a third expected in December. Quality-of-life complaints center on amplified music, unregistered dirt bikes/ATVs, e-bikes, and loud cars. He described two city ordinances (for external speakers and motorized recreational vehicles) that allow seizure and potential destruction of equipment, but enforcement has been hampered by a lack of hearing officers.
- Capt. Chris Baker confirmed that three appeal hearing officers were approved the previous night, enabling the ordinances to be fully implemented.
- Committee members discussed specific incidents: loud music at Mill River Park on Father’s Day weekend (a New York crowd, complaints from miles away), and the proliferation of e-bikes and ATVs citywide. Rep. Field raised concerns about inconsistent enforcement and the need for a uniform decibel limit on all permits, including for Mill River Collaborative events. Rep. Walston echoed the call for consistency.
- Gould explained that for city-sanctioned events (like Alive at Five), the police do not enforce noise limits because it is an administrative matter between the city and the vendor. Mill River Park regulations are set by the Mill River Collaborative, creating a bifurcated system. Lou DeRubeis (Director of Public Safety, Health and Welfare) acknowledged the city is working to bring Mill River events under the same permitting process.
- Current penalties: $120-$150 for unregistered vehicle; under the new ordinance, first offense for external speakers is $1,000, second $1,500, third $2,000, plus confiscation. The department focuses on education but will escalate for repeat or egregious violators.
- Challenges in pursuing fleeing ATVs/off-road vehicles were noted; police use intelligence and preventive strategies rather than dangerous pursuits.
Key Outcomes
- No votes were taken; both items were received as reports.
- Three appeal hearing officers were approved the night before the meeting, enabling full enforcement of the seizure ordinances for amplified speakers and motorized recreational vehicles.
- Chair Bouchard committed to working with the administration and the committee to address noise ordinance consistency across all city parks, including Mill River Collaborative events. A future discussion on decibel limits in permits was suggested.
- The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 p.m.
Meeting Transcript
I'm gonna go ahead and get it started. Um so good evening everyone. Um representative Tom Bouchard. I am the chair of the public safety and health committee for the Stanford uh Board of Representatives. Uh you know, now calling to order the sixth meeting of the 32nd Stanford Board of Representatives, Public Safety and Health Committee. Uh it is 6 31 p.m. Uh it is the 25th of January, uh excuse me, 25th of June, uh a Thursday. Again, thank you all for attending. Um very much uh appreciate everybody coming on board, especially the invitees um who uh will participate and discuss the topics at hand. Uh I'd like to now take attendance uh for those representatives who are on the uh committee. Uh I do see representative Terry Adams, um, who vice chair. Um David Blank, are you on? I do not see David, uh Matthew Halo, I see you, thank you. Uh Michael Field, I see you, thank you. I don't see Cara, uh Gillibride, uh Chanta Graham. I do see you. Um Eric called, Eric Morrison called, he will be late. Uh and Kendra Wallstrom. Thank you very much for joining. I see you also. So we do have a forum. Um we do have two items uh to discuss um on the agenda. Um of course I'd also like to uh thank the um uh ex-official members from the the board of representatives who aren't members of the committee who have joined us. Um, and of course, uh recognizing a Ludarubis, uh head of public safety and health uh here at the city of Stanford. So I appreciate you joining us, Lou. Um so the first item is item number one, it's PS 32.008 from the agenda. This item is a review. Uh a review item is an overview of the regulations and the use of personal watercraft in the enforcement of these regulations within the jurisdiction of Stanford, Connecticut. Um so the invitees on this topic uh include and I see uh Sergeant Kevin Murray, who's the director of parks and recreation. Um he is on board, yes. I do yep, see him there. Uh thank you very much. Uh Mr. Murray. I do see uh Sergeant uh Kevin Fitzgibbons, uh sergeant with the Stanford Police Department. Um I don't see Mr. Damien Ortelli. I don't believe he has joined us quite yet. Um and he is the uh harbor management commission and Yale Greenman, uh the harbor master. I don't know if he has joined us yet. Um but anyway, I do want to get it started, and hopefully this gentleman can join us uh as they become available. So just as background on this item, um, so the use and the safety associated uh with um the personal watercraft did come up with discussions certainly with my constituents um who do live along the water, um, you know, particularly uh in the area of West Scott Cove, around Cummings and West Beach. Um, and is this item was raised during discussions um, you know, and concern that was expressed uh about the safety. Um, and I do believe Evan Weiss, uh I don't know if he's on the call. Um I did extend the information uh the invitation to him. He is uh with the uh St. or excuse me, the Vincent Island Stanford LLC. Um so just as context, um, you know, there is quite a bit of concern as far as what's going on with personal watercraft and the safety associated with the swimmers, uh, and then submerged item uh rocks and stuff associated with what Westcott Cove. Um so at this time I'd like to entertain the motion uh for item one. So be.
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