Serving Lake Erie’s North Shore Friday May 9, 2014
INSIDE
Managing the dunes at Port Stanley
Letters When everyone's happy nobody wants to go home which usually results in overnight stays. Last minute or preplanned. STORY PAGE 2
War of 1812 Report The first raid took place on May 20, 1814. Colonel Talbot had gone to Long Point and Colonel Burwell, Who lived nearby, was much concerned. STORY PAGE 2
Port Stanley Report The Port Stanley Business Improvement Association (BIA) has given the go-ahead for Canfest 2014. STORY PAGE 4
Port Burwell Report Economic development, harbour divestiture, harbour hot spots, OPP costs, the list goes on. Tom Southwick has represented the interests of Port Burwell very well. STORY PAGE 4
Andrew Hibbert Over several days this past month most of the dunes and dune grasses have been removed along Main Beach and beside the municipal parking lots. In a move that has surprised some members of the community, the dunes have been virtually leveled and all the sand redistributed onto the beach itself.
Capture of Oswego, New York May 1814 At dawn on May 5, 1814, American lookouts at Oswego Harbour, observed Sir James Lucas Yeo's fleet while still several miles offshore. STORY PAGE 5
Port Bruce Report The Port Bruce Ratepayers Association (PBRA) board held their regular meeting on Thursday, May 1st and the May 24th village cleanup. STORY PAGE 8
LOOK AHEAD Community Events
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Classifieds & Service Directory Page 7 Business Roladex
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Richard & Helen Haddow
Sales Representatives
Centre City Realty Inc Brokerage
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The market is HOT in Port Stanley! If “We live in you are thinking of Port listing ...DO IT NOW! Stanley
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Direct
Over the past several years the Municipality has stressed the importance of maintaining the dunes saying, “Dunes are an important part of the management of Port Stanley's Main Beach. Central Elgin maintains Main Beach in accordance with the 2010 Port Stanley Dune Management Plan.” It was surprising then that the dunes have now been, for the most part, removed. In an effort to find the rationale behind the makeover of the dunes I asked Don Leitch Central Elgin CAO for an answer. Don sent the following note. “The Main Beach dunes are
being lowered to a height of approximately 1.5 metres. Beach grass was removed from the dunes prior to lowering and will be replanted at the end. The Dune Management Study that the Municipality completed in 2010 indicated that it might be necessary to reduce the height of the dunes from time to time should they continue to grow in size and height.” Don assured us that the work should have no impact on the Port Stanley Main Beach Blue Flag designation. There is no doubt the dunes were growing and that had some local residents concerned. I wondered if Carol Gates former BIA Chair and owner of GT’s Beach Bar might be able to shed some light on the feelings of those who live and work on the beach. Carol sent the following message. “Hi Andrew, I was as surprised as anyone. Both my husband Andy and new BIA Chair Eric are on the beach committee. It was their understanding that the dunes were going to be lowered and pushed
Above Left: The Port Stanley dunes as they appeared several years ago. Above: The dunes after being cut down. back. It was not a push by GTs or the BIA, just one day the big equipment showed up and the dunes were removed.” Carol continued, “Having said that, I'm personally thrilled. I think the beach looks 100% better and you can actually see the pier from GTs again. I think the dunes became much higher than anyone ever envisioned they would become.” So it seems that most people feel that reducing the height of the dunes is a good thing. Personally I rather liked the dunes the way they were. I felt they gave the beach a more natural ambiance, but there is no doubt that they were growing each year, both in height and width and would continue to grow. I’m sure that once the grasses start to reappear and given another year they will look much better.
Southwold Council Considers Request to Fund New Library Kim Grogan Treasurer Township of Southwold
Fingal – The Township of Southwold Council has expressed their support in principle to a new library. The Township’s sustainability plan reinforces Council’s commitment to culture within the community and details an action plan, including a new library, to promote a healthy and community oriented municipality by encouraging and supporting involvement of volunteer organizations wishing to provide cultural and recreational activities in the Township of Southwold. A sense of community will be strengthened by promoting a wide variety of consumer-friendly services, such as
health, culture, connectivity, parks and recreation. Further to that, the Township of Southwold is committed to providing a healthy, safe community to all residents, businesses and visitors by providing services in an economical manner to further growth and prosperity. On March 31, 2014 the Southwold Library Committee requested “Council consider supporting the Southwold Library project by committing $150,000 for the 2015 budget year in order to demon-
strate Council’s resolve to move forward, and at the same time encourage community confidence and donations.” At the April 14, 2014 Council meeting, Council made the decision to not commit ratepayers and future Council to a one-time contribution of $150,000 for the 2015 budget year. Over the past 5 years the Township of Southwold has realized devastating losses of approximately 50% of its revenue primarily due the Ford Plant closure, landfill assessment reductions due to capacity usage, provincial funding reductions and increases in Municipal policing costs. 2014 significant losses from 2013 include: Continued On Page 7