Thursday, January 26, 2017

FINALLY, THE TIMES REPORTS ABOUT "THE DECISION"

It took almost two weeks for The Times to provide coverage of the recent decision regarding the title absolute of the Bay Beach Properties. The ninety-two page decision pointed out that the town was in error when its legal department claimed that an unclosed road allowance was closed. An appeal was filed by a neighbour of the property several years ago based on an much earlier title search that did show the unclosed road allowance running straight through the beachfront portion of the property as well as a road along the shoreline.

Times Article HERE

There is one glaring error to the article:

"The Town of Fort Erie purchased the Bay Beach lands in 2001 for $2.05 million with a plan to develop the lands and provide a return on investment."

Not so. The property was bought to provide a public beach front and parking for residents and visitors. It was a recommendation of the C.A.U.S.E. Study of 1996 that provided a blueprint for the revitalization of Crystal Beach following the devastation to the community when the Crystal Beach Amusement Park closed in 1989. Shortly after the property was purchased, there was a move to sell off the north side of the property parking lots to fund part of the Friendship Trail. This was an idea promoted by a previous council and Wayne Redekop who was mayor. A group was formed to protest the sale of any of the Bay Beach Properties, citing a further C.A.U.S.E. recommendation that the parking lot land be sold ONLY to purchase more waterfront land. That plan was abandoned when the public became aware of the situation and a new councillor was elected in Ward 5 (Crystal Beach.) That young man, Tom Lewis, started the petition signed by thousands of residents and visitors who wanted all the Bay Beach Properties to remain in public hands.

Shortly after the election of 2006, new mayor Doug Martin was convinced that a P-3 arrangement with a developer was just what was needed at Bay Beach Properties. That's when the meme/lie about "return on investment" was started by then town planner Rino Mostacci.  So, the Molinaros promised major "amenities" to the property in exchange for the town giving over the shore front land so that TWO high rise (12 stories) towers could be built. Thus began the second protest which resulted in the election of some new councillors. The unpopular Martin was elected by a mere five votes over Ann Marie Noyes who opposed the Molinaro development. By then, the Molinaros scaled back their plan to one high rise. Appeals to the OMB and lawsuits were lost by the opposition to the tower and four councillors were put through the wringer because they were against the development although they never had the opportunity to vote against it. Remember that. The appeal regarding the title absolute was filed by a neighbour to the property. based on her belief that Don Lubberts was right about the original title and the still open road allowance as well as the town documents that showed incorrect PINs for several properties in the area.

By 2014, the forces against The Four were able to place their own councillors in Ward 3, Ward 4 and Ward 6. Only Don Lubberts was able to retain his seat in Ward 5. Two of the new councillors, Kim Zanko (Ward 3) and Marina Butler (Ward 4) were prominent figures in the campaign to sully the reputations of The Four. The vexatious lawsuit against the four for conflict-of-interest was supported and financed by a group that has been labeled as "the Old Guard," familiar names to those who who follow the power structure of Fort Erie.The case was finally dismissed but the damage was done. 

We're back to SQUARE ONE as the parking lots in the Bay Beach Properties are once again up for grabs to developers. Sixteen years later and the same people are in place to give away or sell a very important part of Crystal Beach. It is as though this piece of property is a pawn in a surreal chess game, one that is played for the future of the community.

OFF TOPIC: it's a pretty sad day when the Canadian government has to assure people who are Canadian Landed Immigrants from one of the Trump-banned Muslim countries can travel to the US and will not be held. How reassuring.

7 comments:

  1. Facts are what Mayor Douglas Martin says it is, and parroted by Kris Dube and his side kick James Culic, they are adherents to the fallacious view now being espoused by the Trump White House, alternative facts, are not facts they are outright lies to fool the dense unwashed rabble out there that only they have the monopoly on the TRUTH.

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  2. I look forward to finding piss clams and walking nude on beach with my dougster friend and his comrade jimmy da T

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  3. Madam Blog administer Sharon, You quite correct with Kris Dube comments about the original purchase of Bay Beach, the George Rebstock family were holding out for more money than the final purchase price. The only reason our Town got a fantastic deal at a really good price, was because of the Towns promise to keep the Bay Beach intact and open for the enjoyment of the public, the family could have realised far more money by slicing the property up and sold to developers, It never was the intent for the Town to make a killing by recouping the $2.2 million purchase price. This idea was Doug Martins idea, The money that paid for the Bay Beach was money that came from slot Revenue , not tax funds, While Mayor Wayne Redekop was in office the total amount of funds from slots was $36 million dollars of which $20 million dollars are not accounted for , The Mayor will not allow a forensic audit of that money. The last council tried that and were rebuffed and no action happened.

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  4. They have been proven, time and time again, to be a bunch of bald-faced liars - all of them. The local newspapers that refused to print the truth; the local business group that supported and paid for slanderous ads, brochures and billboards; the local cronies who supported and paid for the lawsuit against the four; the insiders at town hall who hatched a plan and called it 4-2-0 to get rid of The Four; and the town lawyer who was justifiably fired. My bullshit meter shorted out years ago because of all the lies about Bay Beach that were told by people who knew the truth but had their own interests, mostly monetary, at stake. F-you to all of them and I hope Karma bites every one of them real soon.

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    1. about sums up the last 15 years or so with regards to Bay Beach Madam Editor....

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    2. summed up for dummies......

      16 years of HUGE LIES to fill insiders pockets....you should be irate FE but instead you vote for them (exception the Honorable Mr Lubberts)

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    3. I was reading an article about some of the infamous mayors of Buffalo, NY. I remembered these guys who were responsible for the decline of Buffalo while they filled their pockets and installed their buddies. When I moved here, I thought that Fort Erie would be a welcome relief from the graft and corruption in my home town. Unfortunately, the same types of corruption are evident here. It is hard to draw any other conclusion when town leaders tried to give away the last piece of public beachfront property in Crystal Beach to a high rise developer. You would have to be seriously ill-informed to not draw the conclusion that someone is "on the take." And the way they fought against those who were opposed to the giveaway, should make it crystal clear.

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