Evanston residents painted a stark picture of the city’s beaches at the Evanston Human Services Committee meeting Monday night, saying the current beach fees segregate black and white families.

“Is history repeating itself?” asked Evanston resident Joan Hickman during citizen comment.

But a new program recommended Monday by the committee Monday aims to change all that. The program calls for a yearlong trial-run program, which would distribute free beach tokens to Evanston residents who can prove their families have low incomes. The proposal will be discussed at a future council budget meeting.

The tokens will be available through community agencies such as Family Focus and Youth Organizations Umbrella, which will receive a limited number of tokens. Neither the specific number nor the criteria for designation as a low-income family have been assigned.

“I’ve seen children who have never gone to the beach,” said Sandra Hill, director of Family Focus in Evanston. “They’ve gone to the grass, but they have never gone to the beach.”

This program would replace the proposal in the 2006-2007 budget to provide free beach days on Mondays and Wednesdays at two beaches.

Ald. Steven Bernstein (4th) said the limited program should be extended to all low-income families, not just those using the agencies.

But Ald. Lionel Jean-Baptiste (2nd) said it was impossible to judge until the program was actually implemented. Offering the tokens through agencies would ease the process because those agencies already keep financial records on their members, said Ald. Delores Holmes (5th). Families would be spared from having to apply more than once.

“It saves people some dignity,” Holmes said.

Many of those agencies already provide children with opportunities to use Evanston beaches planned on specific dates with agency staff as chaperones. Under the plan, low-income children would be able to go with their families for free.

The city also subsidizes beach tokens for low-income families at 25, 50 and 75 percent rates. Only 55 of these discounted tokens were purchased last year, said Evanston Director of Parks/Forestry and Recreation Doug Gaynor.

Gaynor said the free token plan would not affect budget revenues because city staff do not expect to hire additional lifeguards.

Some citizens expressed their concern over the city giving free beach tokens.

“(Fees) keep people that are troublemakers away,” said Evanston resident Alfred Jackson earlier Monday.

Reach Jenny Song at [email protected].