U.S. Coast Guard officials reversed an earlier decision to close its seasonal Scituate station after hearing concerns from the public and elected officials that it would decrease response times to boaters in distress.
Scituate Town Administrator Jim Boudreau says he's thrilled the station will continue to operate seasonally because relying on the next closest station in Hull would have dramatically increased emergency response times. "The station's a real integral part of our public safety response on the water during the summer months," he said.
The Coast Guard first announced plans to shutter the Scituate station in June, citing a 2017 federal report on “unnecessarily duplicative” stations. In a statement Monday, it said the decision was made “following a Federal Register public comment period, and after careful consideration of the unique operational and geographic challenges highlighted through the comments.”
U.S. Representative Bill Keating, whose district is partially served by the Scituate station, told GBH News he is pleased that it will remain open.
“This will be a long-term decision,” Keating said. “Rear Admiral [Thomas] Allan assured me that this will be long term and we won't have to worry about this season to season.”
Keating said, after learning of the agency’s plan to close the station this summer, a joint group of harbormasters, local and state leaders got together and requested an extended comment period on the issue.
They appealed to the U.S. Coast Guard to keep the station open because it serves the busy waters off the South Shore. If the Scituate station were to close, Keating said emergency response times would fall far short of what is needed for boating and fishing safety and it could increase a security risk after the decommissioning of the Plymouth Nuclear Power Plant.
“There are over 6,000 moorings from Hull to Plymouth,” Boudreau said. “So any response time increases, in that area, we were afraid, would have fatal consequences. So that was really the genesis for the efforts to keep it open.”
Scituate Harbor Master Stephen Mone said he is “happy with the decision.”
“Moving a boat from Scituate to Point Allerton in Hull in four-foot seas would take that boat 78 minutes to get from Hull to Scituate, 78 minutes to get some help,” Boudreau said. “And [in] any incident on the water, seconds count.”
The station is set to re-open for seasonal operations over Memorial Day weekend in 2022.
