For a third year since being implemented, Warwick will collect entrance fees at Oakland, Conimicut Point and City Park beaches starting this Saturday.

Beachgoers can purchase a season pass or pay at the time of each visit. Season passes are accepted at all three Warwick beaches. For both options, fees are doubled for non-Warwick residents and discounted for seniors, veterans and disabled individuals. Resident season passes are $20 and non residents $40. Passes for senior/veteran and disabled residents are $10 per car and twice that for non residents.

Individual resident one-day car passes are $5 and $10 for nonresidents. One day senior/veteran/ disabled tickets for residents are $3 and $6 for nonresidents.

 One day bus passes, as assessed and authorized by the Director of Parks and Recreation, are as much as $30.

Contrary to day passes, season beach passes cannot be bought upon beach visits. The Warwick Public Library has been selling season passes since May 15. Sales are available there from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Monday through Wednesday and from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday through Saturday. To purchase a beach pass, residents are asked to bring cash, a check or a money order made out to City of Warwick, their car registration or state issued ID as proof of Warwick residency and proof of age, veteran or disability status if necessary. The minimum age for senior discount is 60 years old.  Passes are only available at the library.

Beach fees have been a topic of discussion for years, having been lifted during former Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian’s term in office. Before that, the fees had been applied for about ten or eleven years.

Ward 6 Councilwoman Donna Travis described Avedisian’s action as “giving people a break” in a hard financial time. Nevertheless, she voiced strong disapproval of the removal, along with Warwick’s Department of Works.

“It was such a pig pen,” she said of the beaches. According to her observations, diapers and garbage were consistently scattered throughout the landscape; broader recreational access also increased traffic and illegal cooking on city beaches. She believes that because people did not have to pay, they cared less about their behavior and treatment of the environment.

Mayor Frank Picozzi agreed with Travis and reinstated the fees two years ago. Travis deems this action the “best thing that happened,” and not a poor price, either.

Travis further explained that a lack of beach fees is unfair to Warwick residents, who find it difficult to enjoy their own beaches with the influx of non-residents. She additionally noted that beachgoers create poor parking habits to avoid paying a fee, which leads to blocked driveways, packed side streets, and a “crazy” police presence.

“We were just trying to be fair with everyone,” Travis declared. She said that since the reinstatement of the fees, the beaches have been much cleaner and more controlled. And, as long as she has anything to say about it, the fees will be here to stay.

“I just want everyone to get along and enjoy the summer,” she concluded.

Warwick beaches are open from sunrise and sunset with lifeguards and fee collectors on duty.