Select Board Approves First Commercial Beach Chair Rental at Singing Beach

MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA — April 6, 2026 — Manchester-by-the-Sea Select Board greenlights Singing Beach chair rentals and approves two civic appointments. The board voted unanimously Monday to authorize Chairspot LLC — founded by Manchester residents Ben Rubens, Charlie Rubens, and Beckett Gibbons — to operate a beach chair rental service at Singing Beach from June 17 through September 7, 2026, charging $15 for a full-day rental and $10 for a half day, under a commercial liability policy of $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate with the town named as additionally insured. Parks and Recreation Director Cheryl said the Parks and Rec Committee had already vetted and recommended the proposal, noting that visitors regularly discard cheap chairs in beach dumpsters rather than carry them home. The board also unanimously appointed Tracy Davis to the Cultural Council and Patricia Glennon to the Council on Aging Board, both for terms through June 30, 2029; approved a one-day mobile sauna event at White Beach on April 18 for Let's Sauna LLC operator Kathleen Johnson; and authorized the Manchester by the Sea Museum to fly a replica of the historic Forester flag from the town flagpole April 18 through April 25 in honor of Patriots Day, prompting a commitment to draft a new flagpole policy covering civic and historic commemorative flags within the month. The board closed the session by entering executive session to discuss a potential real estate transaction at the Masonic Hall on Church Street.