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04/16/2023 08:32 AMAfter a successful first season, Town Manager Karl Kilduff has announced that the operator of the beach concession stand will return for the 2023 season, and the town will again charge no rent.
At a Town Council meeting on March 15, Kilduff informed the council that Paul Orsini, the stand operator for the 2022 season, had an interest in operating the stand again in 2023. Per a contract signed last year, Orsini was given the right of first refusal but had to let the council know by March 2023 if he was interested in returning to the stand.
Kilduff informed the council that the Park and Recreation Commission (PRC) had requested to extend Orsini’s contract another year, which the council agreed to.
Under the terms of the contract, for a fee of $1, Orsini has the right to operate the snack bar from May 28 to Sept. 5. Additionally, the town will waive electricity costs and a rental fee for this period.
Orsini, the executive director of the Clinton Chamber of Commerce and owner of Doc’s Bar and Grill in Clinton, said the stand would offer basic beach eats like burgers, hot dogs, and grilled cheese.
“The year went really well. I’m excited to do it again,” Orsini said.
Orsini that this year he hopes to expand the menu a bit and perhaps offer items like slushies.
The status of the town beach concession stand caused serious concern in the spring of 2022 when it looked like the town might have to forgo food offerings at the beach for the summer.
Concerns started last year when Hog Wild, which had run the beach concession stand for the two previous summers, determined it would not return for summer 2022, citing the high utility cost. As late as mid-April, the PRC expressed doubt the stand would open as an operator could not be found. Despite agreeing that a year without a stand would be a bad look for the town, the PRC set a deadline of the second week of May for finding an operator. The town agreed to terms with Orsini on May 4, 2022.
To help get the stand open, the PRC asked the town to waive the stand’s rent. PRC chairman Joe Schettino said at the time that to him, the beach concession stand “is a service, not truly a business.” In other words, Schettino said that whoever operates the stand can’t go in expecting to make a large profit.
The PRC pointed out that the beach is not only a seasonal facility but also a weather-dependent one, which works against vendors since they don’t know how many days the stand will open. Furthermore, because of where Clinton Town Beach is located, it’s susceptible to water closures. When the water is closed, that further decreases the number of people at the beach, even if the weather is nice.