City Council spent more than an hour Monday debating whether to reinstate beach fees at Kershaw Park next summer, revisiting concerns about overcrowding, access for city residents, and the financial impact of leaving the beach free.
The discussion came during the first 2026 budget wrap-up session and marked the most detailed public review of the beach’s first year without admission charges.
In 2024, when the city still required wristbands, Kershaw generated nearly $36,000 in beach revenue against roughly $20,000 in additional staffing and related costs. That left the city with about $15,600 in net income. No fees were collected this past summer.
Staff argued that removing fees created operational challenges in 2025, including a surge in attendance, difficulty controlling access, and an influx of unsupervised minors. Lifeguards reported feeling more like “babysitters,” and police were forced to conduct targeted enforcement to curb illegal swimming near boat lanes.
Still, department heads urged a second year of the no-fee model to refine operations. They said they can improve gate monitoring, swimmer counts, and enforcement without bringing back admission charges.
Some councilors disagreed, arguing the city is leaving money on the table and that crowding has made lake access harder for local families. Several members floated reinstating a fee for nonresidents only—potentially $5 or even $10 per day—while keeping access free or nearly free for city residents. Others raised equity questions, including whether police enforcement disproportionately affects lower-income youth.
Members broadly agreed that the city needs better data before making a long-term decision. Suggestions included tracking resident vs. nonresident usage, surveying beachgoers, and partnering with the Ontario County Visitors Connection or the Canandaigua Local Development Corporation to analyze visitor behavior with location-based tools like Placer.ai.
Council ultimately made no change to the upcoming budget, which assumes no admission fees for 2026. A motion to reinstate fees did not advance. The issue is expected to resurface next year once expanded data collection and operational changes are in place.
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