Luke Charbonneau responds to recent Saugeen Times Surveys

Letters

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Sandy,

I have been reading, with great interest, the responses to your poll question over the need to pursue Blue Flag status for our community’s beaches. And now, I see that your new poll deals with sand dunes on the beaches of Southampton.
By focusing so much attention on the state of our beaches, you are reflecting the interests of your readers – many of whom are increasingly concerned about well being of our waterfront.
I share their concerns.

That is why, as part of my platform for this fall’s municipal election, I am proposing that Saugeen Shores strike a new waterfront committee with a mandate to develop a Waterfront Master Plan.

Such a plan would use a public process to create municipal policies addressing environmental concerns, accessibility issues, aesthetic improvements and matters of public health and safety on our beaches. What’s more, it may be undertaken in conjunction with the upcoming official plan review so that related planning issues could be addressed.

The process of creating a plan for our waterfront would give the Town an opportunity to hear the community’s concerns about our beaches. The completed plan would give the Town an accepted framework with which to address future public concerns.

For example, a Waterfront Master Plan might include a policy dealing with the planting and maintenance of sand dunes. Through the public planning process, the municipality could consult with experts and the public to determine how existing dunes should be maintained and where new dunes should be established in the future.

A master plan may not lead us to seek Blue Flag status for our beaches but it would certainly guide our community in taking a ‘made in Saugeen Shores’ approach to revitalizing and protecting our waterfront.

Of course, for any such plan to be successful, the municipality must be committed to funding its implementation.

Saugeen Shores has been very successful over the last number of years in implementing the Parks and Trails Master Plan. Council contributed to this success by consistently focusing capital funding on the development of parks and trails.

I believe that the time has come for Council to shift its focus and begin to commit capital dollars to waterfront revitalization through the development and implementation of a Waterfront Master Plan.
Thank you for paying special attention to our beaches - they are, after all, at the center of our identity as a community.

Keep up the good work!

Luke Charbonneau
www.lukecharbonneau.com

New Survey

Should the Dunes in Southampton be reduced?

For background information

Town Council/SRA  Some beach residents want changes to Southampton Dunes

Past Survey

Town Council Should Saugeen Shores seek Blue Flag Status?

 

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Tuesday, July 20, 2010