STONE HARBOR – Resident David Comerford wants the borough to do more in terms of enforcing codes for behavior on the beaches.

Comerford, who said he has a long history with the borough and that he and his family are “fully vested” in the community, told the Borough Council at its July 2 meeting that certain behavior on the beaches “distresses” him.

Every day, he said, beachgoers must put up with those who are drinking alcohol, smoking, using foul language, unleashed dogs, loud music and ball playing. He said the ball playing has reached the point where basketball hoops are on the beach in more than one location. He said there was one incident of indecent exposure.

Comerford reminded the council that the borough has regulations against this type of behavior. The problem is not a lack of rules but rather a lack of enforcement, he said.

“We have these regulations for a reason,” he said. “They impact our ability to enjoy the beach in peace.” He called the situation a “quality of life issue” that was destroying what he and his family have invested in.

Comerford asked the borough to prioritize the beach over parking. He suggested redeploying some of the parking enforcement personnel to the beaches as a proactive rather than reactive response to the problems.

He also spoke of overcrowding on the beaches, citing Beach Patrol Capt. Sandy Bosacco’s statement at an earlier council meeting that the borough has already sold more seasonal tags this year than all of last year.

The beach is the “lifeblood of the community,” Comerford said. If the borough does not have enough personnel to enforce both parking and beach regulations, he asked the council to prioritize the beach.

The council thanked him for his comments but otherwise did not respond to them.

Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.