BY DARRELL HALEN

In response to complaints about people illegally driving across Windham’s beach to use Cobbetts Pond, selectmen ordered a Jersey barrier to be placed at a beach gate.

Selectmen made that decision during their Feb. 26 meeting.

Town Administrator David Sullivan said the gate will prevent snowmobile and all-terrain vehicle riders from crossing the beach to drive onto the pond’s ice.

The town does not allow motorized vehicles on the beach, except for police and fire department rescue vehicles, Sullivan said.

In another effort to address the problem, selectmen will host a public hearing to consider restricting the beach’s parking lot to Windham residents. Currently, nonresidents can use the lot.

Sullivan said the town has received complaints from residents about noise on the pond, the lot being used by people illegally crossing the beach and erosion to the beach.

The pond is a state pond, so town officials have no authority over activity on the pond, Sullivan said. ATV and snowmobile riders who use the pond must pass through private property to legally access it, he said.