ANOTHER COMMUNITY IMPROVES ITS PUBLIC BEACH

IS THIS THE FUTURE OF BAY BEACH?

The non-elected, Grimsby-based town planner has invited a developer who plans to buy the upland portions of the beach and build two twelve story towers overshadowing our public beach.

Community groups like the Friends of Crystal Beach have presented suggestions, plans and fund-raising opportunities to improve and enhance the entire parcel known as the Bay Beach Properties. It is the belief of many that Bay Beach can be turned into a world class tourist attraction that will draw even more people into the area.

Please read the article below to see what a forward-thinking community is doing to their public beach lands.

By DEBORA VAN BRENK, LONDON FREE PRESS

The scene this week amid work on a $3.5-million upgrade to Grand Bend's Lake Huron beach. (SUE REEVE sue.reeve@sunmedia.ca)

GRAND BEND -- Feverish construction has taken over Southwestern Ontario's hottest beach destination.

Beachgoers this holiday weekend can get an up-close peek at Grand Bend's $3.5-million lakeside makeover -- including the broad boardwalk, splashpad and dune-grass zones -- before it opens June 1.

The turning circle leading to the main beach will be open all this weekend, although the surrounding construction zone is fenced off. So, instead of the bathing-suited sun worshippers, the beach here is teeming with orange-vested construction workers.

Instead of sunbrellas and cute convertibles cruising the strip, there are Bobcats, forklifts, wheelbarrows and an excavator.

"This is going to make a great beach even better," said Lambton Shores CAO John Byrne.

The main impetus behind the renovations is the community's bid to merit a Blue Flag designation, an international award for clean, accessible and eco-friendly beaches.

Even though the community draws as many as 10,000 out-of-towners on a good summer weekend, it also wanted to build attractions that would bring people in during the "shoulder" seasons of spring and fall.

And residents wanted to beautify the area for beautification's sake, not just for the tourists. "This is the community's beach, too," Byrne said.

New features include:

* A boardwalk that stretches from the pier at the south end of the main beach to the condos at the north. Made of salvaged hemlock, it's wide enough for at least three couples to stroll side by side and has posts topped with gentle, LED lighting. The boardwalk replaces the concrete path.

* A splash pad, sheltered by the main beachhouse and ideal for children on days when water quality is poor or waves are high.

* Dune-grass and natural-vegetation buffers between the beach and boardwalk, to help prevent erosion and to keep sand from blowing through town and having to be scooped up and trucked back to the beach.

* Viewing decks and picnic areas, both with shaded areas to protect visitors from sun.

* New lifeguard stands and more visible safety flags.

* More wheelchair-accessible areas and parking spaces.

"It was a very stark and harsh environment before this," Byrne said.

Also new this year is a beach manager and beach guides to help people navigate the facilities.

"We don't open up our arena facilities and say, 'Just come in.' We wanted to have more of a presence here," Byrne said.

The makeover has won considerable local support. The community has nearly met its goal of $1.5 million in local pledges to pay for it. It hopes to draw the remainder from other government sources.

Ryan Roethel of Kitchener, who has been visiting the beach regularly for 15 years, said he likes the new look.

"Some updating, I think, is good to get people to come back."

Grand Bend has for decades been a big draw, with its broad expanse of beach, restaurants, shops and people-watching.

This is traditionally the weekend when cottagers throw open their shutters and head down to the shorelines.

Some hardy souls will no doubt also be playing in the water, which is still too frigid for swimming.

The Bend project has been a long time coming, after having been discussed for decades. Once a concept was designed and approved, construction began quickly. St. Marys contractors McLean Taylor Construction is handling the work and has a June 1 deadline for completion.

The main beach area under construction will be closed this weekend but the north and south beaches are open.

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PAY, OBEY or GO AWAY

I have been looking for a proper analogy for this Bay Beach situation and it came to me via a newstory that appeared on the Today Show.
It is the story of the fight to save St. Francis X. Cabrini Church by the over one hundred families who still call it their parish chruch, despite the ruling of the Archdiocese of Boston over four years ago to close the financially sound church.
Longtime parishoner, Margy O'Brien says she came from the generation of Catholics that understood that they were to "pay, pray and obey" their church and not ask questions. But the parishioners of St. Francis have many questions, questions that are not being answered. Their church's locks were changed without notice 4-1/2 year ago when the archdiocese decided to close and sell off the 30.3 acres of prime costal real estate on what is often referred to as the "Irish Riviera" at Scituate, Massachusettes.
Many feel that the closure of St. Francis and its eventual sale is tied into the more than $85 million that the archdiocese has recently paid off for lawsuits resulting from priest abuse charges.
In the meantime, the parish goes on with services, but no mass as the archdiocese refuses to send a priest to the parish. The parish has appealed to the Vatican and offered to buy the property from the archdiocese, but were refused.

I hope you can see the analogy between the fight to save St, Francis X Cabrini and the Bay Beach Properties. The Town of Fort Erie is looking for money; money to pour into the Fort Erie Race Track or to continue to maintain the salaries of staff at Town Hall. The Town believes it is infallible and knows what's best for its citizens, even when the citizens loudly express the opposite opinion. So, the town brings in a "facilitator" to facilitate/brainwash participants to agree to sell off one of the town's most valuable assets.