Beach Panel Backs Burlingame, Warns of Deficit

Other Committee · Meeting of August 20, 2026

Westport's Beach Committee recommended longtime resident Blair Burlingame for an open seat and flagged a widening deficit in the town's beach enterprise fund. Burlingame, a Drift Road resident and Westport Food Pantry volunteer who once worked as a beach superintendent on Cape Cod decades ago, drew no objections before the chair said he would forward the recommendation to the Select Board without a formal vote. Officials reported the fund had taken in $165,535 in beach pass revenue since January 1 but had already spent $173,627, leaving roughly an "$8,000 in the red" shortfall against a $281,639.04 balance, with a projected $27,000 gap for the year.

Head lifeguard Mike reported a shark sighting, a capsized-boat rescue and a heat-related rescue this summer. Members also discussed portable toilets destroyed by fireworks over the Fourth of July weekend and plans for a December Select Board hearing on possible pass-fee increases.

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• Who Was There
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Source: the Other Committee meeting of August 20, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.