Freedom — June 9, 2007 — Their position was “no position” at Monday night’s selectmen’s meeting.When Representative Howard Cunningham (D-Sandwich) asked Selectmen Jim Brown and Donna Cupka about their position on the Long Sands Beach issue, both said they had no opinion because the beach is located in Ossipee, not Freedom.

Cunningham said according to a letter written in 2005 by the board of selectmen, the selectmen were against having the beach open to the public and “held a strongly environmental position.”

“I don’t want to interfere with Ossipee’s problems…although there are far too many boats on the lake, but it is open to the entire state,” Brown said. “I wouldn’t want the Ossipee selectmen coming over here to tell us what to do with Loon Lake” or the Freedom part of Ossipee Lake.”

Cupka agreed. “It’s not our jurisdiction.”

Both also said they were concerned about the water quality and carrying capacity of the lake, just not the specific issues related to Long Sands Beach.

Cunningham said earlier that he did not believe the rules over the beach that were recently distributed were not in their final form. He also said the state, which set up the Lakes Management Association, has not done what it was supposed to do.

The Lakes Management Association, set up under RSA 483, is supposed to monitor water quality and carrying capacity of all water bodies in the state, which Cunningham said includes wetlands, lakes and rivers. As of yet, the state has not determined a carrying capacity for Ossipee Lake, he said.

The Lakes Management Association is the responsibility of the Department of Environmental Services (DES).