SHREWSBURY – At the Lake Quinsigamond Commission meeting on Sept. 27, officials announced that one of the town’s “no wake zone” buoys – the buoy located just north of King’s Point – had been damaged.
“Apparently somebody needed to express their opinion and damaged and destroyed it,” said Commission member Michael Paika. “It’s unfortunate that people need to destroy public property meant to help people conduct themselves safely boating on the lake… We just want everybody to be safe.”
Officer Shawn Valliere said the new buoys are expensive and were placed at the narrows.
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“They’re out there for a purpose. People are destroying them. It’s not right… it takes time and money to put these in. Have respect for the property we have out there,” Valliere said.
The destruction of the buoy is just the latest in the commission’s monthslong effort to curb speeding on the lake. In particular, jet skis – which can be loud and dangerous – have drawn the ire of the commission. The Lake Quinsigamond Commission is asking for public participation at its October meeting as it continues to deal with the problem.
The buoy has since been replaced, and the commission may consider enacting punishments in the near future for destroying buoys.