Would You Pay for Beach Services in North County?

Encinitas may start taking reservations for a few of its popular beachside fire rings, where people sometimes arrive before sunrise to stake out the limited number of spots.

Under the proposal to be considered by the city council later this year, Encinitas residents would be charged $25, non-residents $75 and commercial event organizers $100 to book a beach fire ring with a picnic table or a table at nearby Cottonwood Creek Park for a day, U-T San Diego reported.

City parks officials proposed the system start in early 2014, according to the newspaper. Only two or three of the eight fire rings at Moonlight Beach would be up for grabs with advance reservations, city senior parks management analyst Michael Stauffer told U-T San Diego. "We don't plan on having all of (the fire rings) reservable, just a couple of them,'' he told the newspaper. A reservation system was brought up about 10 years ago, but it was decided to have the fire rings and tables available on a first-come, first- served basis, Stauffer told U-T San Diego. If the reservation system is approved by the City Council, it would be the first of its kind in North County, according to U-T San Diego.

Covered picnic table areas in some Carlsbad parks can be reserved, although not individual tables and not tables at the beaches. Groups of 25 or more can get a permit for a large gathering at a Solana Beach park, the U-T reported. Oceanside park facilities are first-come, first-served.

–City News Service