The City of Bethel bulldozed a brushy area yesterday in an effort to maintain public safety.
City employees cleared overgrown trees and weeds from the old sandpit near the town’s boardwalk, close to Pinky’s Park. According to City Manager Pete Williams, the area is a well-known party spot that was riddled with “hide-y holes” where locals drank or got into trouble.
According to Williams, the city received a series of complaints from the public about the boardwalk over the course of several months. About six weeks ago, a council member raised concerns about it with the administration and suggested that the city clear the nearby trees. And yesterday, Williams took the initiative and told Public Works Director Bill Arnold to do so.
“We figured that if we got all the trees out of there, they [the people partying] won’t hang out in there as much,” Arnold said.
The city’s bulldozer and excavator made quick work of the trees and were expected to finish clearing the area on Wednesday.
Correction: In a previous version of this article, we stated that the City Council directed the administration to remove the trees near the boardwalk, close to Pinky's Park. That paragraph has since been clarified and revised. We regret the confusion.