Not to worry though, the people thought. There's great beach just down the road and it only costs two bits to enter. Same
great sand beach; same lake front setting. Life was still good, although the loss of the amusement park lands still hurt.Then, in 2001, a wonderful thing happened! The owners of the Bay Beach Properties, which included Bay Beach, offered to sell the property to the town of Fort Erie for $2 million. The town bought it with the then plentiful bingo revenues. The people were elated to know that they would have a great, albeit rundown, public beach and property on the other side of Erie Road for convenient parking. But then, the town started talking about selling off the parking lot lands to "recoup its investment."
That proposal was met with fierce resistance by many and, to make a long story short; the town backed off and people returned to enjoy their free public beach in droves - until 2008, when the town planner (who doesn't even live in Fort Erie) decided to invite interested developers to submit proposals for developing the Bay Beach Properties (translation: buy the Bay Beach Properties.)Take a look at the pictures. One was from Bay Beach's past (thanks, Paul Kassay.) That's the B&W admission sign from back when George Rebstock owned the Bay Beach Properties. Seeing it brought back fond memories of lots of fun at the beach. The colour picture was taken last summer on a busy, beautiful Sunday at Bay Beach. The question is: will that too be but a "fond memory" in years to come? Where I stood to take that picture is right where one of the Molinaro Group's two twelve story towers will be situated if they - and the town planner get their way.
What do you see for the future of the Bay Beach Properties? You can also join the Facebook Group: Keep Crystal Beach A Public Beach.
