Beach enhancement special report: Bonnie Doone Manor on the Beach

Kristie McIndoe on behalf of Mel and Elia Douglas
Bonnie Doone Manor on the Beach
Via Fax

Since the beach enhancement idea first surfaced a few years ago, we have been talking with our customers about what they would like to see at the beach. Many of these families are second, third and fourth generations returning year after year for their vacations in our wonderful slice of paradise. The resounding opinion is that Mother Nature has given us one of the most beautiful beaches in the world – why would we want to change that? Many of these customers have written letters to council stating just that and many more have signed a petition against changes to the beach.
Change is inevitable. Without it, there would be no progress, but we need to consider each of these decisions and their impact on our natural environment.
Environmental and ecological studies need to be done on the impact of the splash and sprinkler pads on the beach. Studies also need to be done on the impact of planting trees that are not indigenous to the sandy beach. Will we be making mistakes that will negatively impact the quality of our water and drive our customers (and revenue source) away?
Feasibility studies need to be done. What kind of expensive technical maintenance will this require, and how many additional people will need to be hired?
We would ask that the next public meeting be held in July or August, making it more accessible for our property owners that live out of town, so they can attend and express their concerns.
We need to make smart choices with all the facts, not uninformed hasty ones. Would this wonderful gift of money be better spent in other ways throughout Grand Bend?