Sunday, August 30, 2015

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME MORE?

Community Workshop #2 September 2, 2015 Bay Beach MASTER PLAN at Crystal Ridge Community Centre 

Please join us to review and discuss the Draft Master Plan for the Bay Beach property - site plan, design guidelines, environmental and ecological sustainability plan, operating/management strategy. 

The team will present the Draft Master Plan, followed by round table discussions with workshop participants. 

The presentations will occur at: 3:00 pm 5:00 pm 7:00 pm

You are invited to for the Bay Beach Master Plan For more information contact Signe Hansen Manager of Parks and Open Space Development Town of Fort Erie 905-871-1600 x 2506 shansen@town.forterie.on.ca 99 Ridge Rd S, Crystal Beach Please email baybeach@planpart.ca to register for one of the workshop sessions. 

Please join us to review and discuss the Draft Master Plan for the Bay Beach property - site plan, design guidelines, environmental and ecological sustainability plan, operating/management strategy. The team will present the Draft Master Plan, followed by round table discussions with workshop 

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Back to the drawing board. Once again, we will hear about all the wish lists for the Bay Beach Properties. Then later ....


... we will hear that the town can't afford to do anything to improve the Bay Beach Properties and that it will be necessary to sell off the north parking lots in order to "make a return on the initial investment." Rinse; repeat.


 I've said just about everything that can be said about the Bay Beach Properties since 2002 when the north side of the property was to be sold off to fund a portion of the Friendship Trail. That's when the fight began to save the Bay Beach Properties and keep the entire parcel in the public's hands. Thirteen years later, we have come full circle. Back to selling off the north section of the Bay Beach Properties.

I guess they did get the message about the south (beach) side of the property after the failed (we can only hope) high rise condo tower disaster, but they just don't "get it" about the need for the parking lots as well as the beachside property if Crystal Beach is going to be able to attract tourist dollars. Better management of these assets needs to be undertaken; new revenue streams need to be found and the parking situation needs to be addressed in a positive, helpful way. 

10 comments:

  1. Parking lots to attract tourist dollars.? There are a few places that sell fast food to people who visit the beachfront for a few hours. Tourist dollars? Not to say some of the foodies dont benefit from people coming in for a landing for a visit to the lakefront. These just might be the "tourist dollars" you mention. There are so few other services (and this is in the "high season") other than standing in a line on a hot summer day to buy a parking receipt those tourist dollars are some kind of illusion. Parking, no parking, that site is so far gone in terms of real tourist amenities they could be coming in by donkey cart and the EDTC wouldnt have a clue what to do with visitors except try to get a few bucks out of them before the sun sets. Parking lots? Is this what the whole plan has come to? Whats going on?

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    1. I know, I know. Remember that Crystal Beach was pretty much ignored during the Molinaro fiasco years. Everything was all about the economic boon that result from the building of the 12 story condo. And some people bought that hook, line and sinker.

      What needs to be done is an economic plan for Crystal Beach in general, not just for the Bay Beach Properties. Events like the 5K Run that are held past the regular season bring in a different crowd of visitors. The Friends of Crystal Beach are running that event plus the End of Summer Parade, plus the wildly popular Waterfront Park concerts. Any help from other sources? Nope, not much at all. Where is the Crystal Beach Business Improvement Area in all this? One would think they would be holding all kinds of events to bring people into the area. After all, it's money in their pockets.

      Tell you what I would like to see for Bay Beach: the whole south side as a greenspace, shaded picnic, event area. The Lobster House as a Crystal Beach Amusement Park Museum and a large paved space for food trucks which would pay a very high premium to be able to park in that space. Let's charge the same rates as the hospitals do for parking. All that money goes directly towards improving Bay Beach. Build a gazebo and rent it out for weddings and other events. Charge admission to the beach unless someone has a resident's card. Eight thousand people a day? If half of them are non-residents and they are required to pay even one dollar per head, that's $4000. on a good Sunday. After what they used to pay at Sherkston, they should be grateful. Only problem with that is that large amounts of money often disappear in this town (see: bingo history.)

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  2. view_from_the_beachAugust 30, 2015 at 8:38 PM

    In a nutshell.. Spot On !
    And AFTER the deal goes through THEN you'll see Jimmy T and his gang suddenly become involved in a$$i$ting the "new" developers.

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  3. The Master Plan concepts can't be all that bad, Mia and Nick walked out early!

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    1. Anyone who supported that sell out to the Mollys either didnt show or kept their head down and with good reason. What do you do with an old bitter unemployed auto worker? Put him on his leash and go to some public meeting and leave early. These are the people that have a fat finger up the back end of the CB BIA? So it goes. Results speak for themselves.

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    2. Don't forget that they sold their store to a convicted fraudster who has been on a campaign to ruin the downtown core of Crystal Beach. Most of those empty buildings on Erie Road belong to Gary Fraser (or his associates) and they are not getting fixed up. They are being used to get large mortgages so that more property can be bought. Some day the whole thing will implode. Then there's that other guy who owns the "Mata Hari" building who is just as bad. Keeping it as a tax write-off as no one can afford the rent he wants. Another fine example of a community-minded businessman. It is true that Mia seldom had anything good to say about Crystal Beach or its people and business owners. She wanted to cater to the wealthy people who live along the lake. She even accused the people who were trying to save the Bay Beach Properties of vandalizing her car. Went on TV with that accusation and it was all a lie. Most of us have a good idea exactly who was responsible for that and other thefts. And it wasn't anyone who was opposed to the Molinaro high rise. (Funny how she was the only one who claimed that she had been vandalized by the Save Bay Beach Properties group.) Frankly, no one cared what Mia thought because she was against it before she was for it.

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  4. On another subject, why in the name of Reddy cop are the hydrants in town and along Erie road painted white?? Does it not snow here? Is this the base coat before the red or bright yellow is put on? Just when you think youve seen it all they come up with another strange one. Even the highways department after all these years are starting to get away from white lines on the highways because of blowing snow and thus poor visability for drivers staying in their lanes.

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    1. Probably because red or yellow clash with Winnie's set design for Crystal Beach. She was once able to get the sign indicating the public beach at Ashwood removed because she didn't like it. Great work beautifying Crystal Beach but... I have to laugh every time the Communities in Bloom National Prize is mentioned. The town won the prize because of the restoration of the Point Abino Light Station which Winnie and her group were dead set against spending the money on. BTW, the money used from the Reserve Fund for the restoration has all been paid back thanks to the previous council.

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  5. take a read of this weeks FE pravda times.......park in Stevensville a top priority for TOFE(of course!!) with federal monies granted. Good for them but what about Bay Beach?? with at least a 1000 times more visitors. Real cheap start, tear down the fences, plant a little greenery, and stop wasting 100,000$ of tax payers hard earned dollars on another dumb assed study that will be ignored with the ink still wet.

    The north parking lots are absolutely essential on a hot day. Without them parking mayhem will erupt. It's close to that already and no study is needed. Just a quick drive by this long weekend will more than suffice and trump any study. If not the case, why is the Crystal Beach Hill lot doing so well at 6$ a car and the north lots charging as well?? Most people are notoriously cheap when it comes to pay parking (don't blame them) so why if parking is so available are all these pay lots full???

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  6. Parking has been an on-going problem in Bay Beach for decades. Smart beach goers preferred the cheap admission to Rebstock's Bay Beach and the north lots were always full (and free.) Side streets were swamped with cars, many parked haphazardly and in violation of the laws. Not much was done about it, but residents had to put up barricades and signs to keep people from parking in front of their driveways. Happened all the time at our family cottage off Erie Road in Bay Beach. We dealt with it and used the small beach at Lakewood to enter (Bay Beach Property Owners Association Beach) and then walked past the fence to go to Bay Beach where all the action was. Good times that I hope will be enjoyed for generations to come. Parking is always a problem at popular places and I agree that the north side lots must be kept for parking.

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