NORTH ANDOVER — Stevens Pond will be fee free again this summer for residents to enjoy.
The decision came during the Select Board’s Monday meeting as outgoing Youth and Recreational Services Executive Director Rick Gorman presented the request of free access to the pond for another year.
It was his recommendation with support from Town Manager Melissa Rodrigues to do a second year without charging residents permit fees to use the pond following a successful summer season last year doing the same.
Stevens Pond is a public beach at 522 Pleasant St. that’s open to North Andover residents by registering for a pass good for the summer.
Historically, the pond ran a $15,000 to $20,000 deficit. Last year, the town decided for the first time to try out free passes to use Stevens Pond as it would have to continually reimburse residents for closures in the past, Rodrigues said.
The town then absorbed the entire budget to operate the pond which comes in around $50,000. Passes used to offset some of the costs.
She said last season’s free passes were a huge success.
Gorman said the town had the most residents ever sign up for permits last year although that was likely due to no cost.
“I think we are earning the trust back of the community that we are invested in Stevens Pond,” he said about the collaborative work among town departments leading that effort.
Thirty percent of those who signed up for a permit did not pick theirs up during the summer, but the first five weeks, in particular, brought new faces to Stevens Pond, Gorman said.
There was also an increase of young families and senior citizens using the pond for the season.
Stevens Pond was open for seven out of nine summer weeks with “much better water tests” at the beginning of the season. The goal is to be open all summer weeks, but the last two weeks took a tail spin, Gorman said.
The free permits have been clearly advertised to residents as limited to a one-year, maybe two-year run from the start, he said, when asked by the board if it would be hard for residents to go back to paying for passes.
The town manager’s office and Joe Agosto, the new youth and recreational services director, plan to hold discussions on any possible fees in the future.