WHEN WILL DUE DILIGENCE OCCUR?

An Open Letter to All Saugeen Shores Residents and Visitors: Recent comments to the media by Saugeen Shores Councillor Neil Menage shocked local residents. Councillor Menage called a 1,650+ petition against the proposed splash pad location in Port Elgin, and those who signed it, "Selfish, local Nimby-ism...a tainted petition that's been signed by everyone and anybody all over the world, who doesn't know where the park is, doesn't know where the splash pad is going to be located." This Councillor's misleading comments about the validity of the petition is quite troubling coming from an elected official. This only adds to the many issues we have encountered trying to get answers about this location choice. To say that the opinions of 1650+ people are "bogus" and "tainted" is alarming. The fact is the majority (70%) of the people who signed the petition are from Saugeen Shores. The rest of the names on the petition include summer residents and visitors from nearby towns and cities primarily within Southern Ontario. There are only 12 names from other provinces and 31 signatures from outside of Canada. Without a doubt the overwhelming majority who signed the paper and online petitions know exactly where North Shore Park is; and they are strongly opposed to locating a splash pad there. Since the beginning of July the Friends of North Shore Park have been seeking answers and transparency from Saugeen Shores concerning the location selection process. At a meeting in North Shore Park on September 8th, Jayne Jagelewski, director of Community Services and the new CAO, David Smith told us we would be provided with the splash pad location studies completed for all the parks in Port Elgin. As of the writing of this letter we have not been provided with any studies done by Saugeen Shores staff. A recent meeting on October 21st with Mayor Mike Smith and the CAO David Smith we reminded the CAO that we were waiting for the studies that we were promised on September 8th. We were denied access to the location studies by the CAO who told us, "it wouldn't be fair to give it to you and not the public”. Why is this information being withheld from public scrutiny? We want to know which parks were studied as possible locations and who was involved with making this decision. Accountability is a reasonable expectation for taxpayers, residents and our visitors. As a result of the lack of transparency shown to this community we have exercised our democratic right and according to the Municipal Act we have filed a Freedom of Information Application. How was North Shore Park selected despite the obvious parking, maintenance, and ecological issues involved with building a 2,435 sq.ft. concrete splash pad in this forest location? According to information provided to Council at the Committee of Whole Meeting on June 13th the splash pad is "large enough to accommodate over 250 children safely". The North Shore Park location is surrounded by safety concerns: close to the train tracks, a nearby fast flowing stream after rain and the unavoidable proximity to a busy street with no sidewalks where three roads meet on a low visibility corner. Local neighbours will be pulling in and out of the parking lot to get their mail at the Canada Post kiosk. No wonder many parents with young children have expressed safety concerns to us about this proposed location and want the splash pad located elsewhere. The North Shore Park location makes no sense from a demographic point of view. The splash pad should be located in an area of Port Elgin where more families live and those without transportation would be more able to walk to access it. If located in North Shore Park almost everyone will have to drive. Very few families with young children will walk up and down the hill. It is also a fact that it is much warmer inland away from the shoreline on many days during the summer. If the use of a splash pad is, in fact, a recreation priority for residents of Saugeen Shores then making the most of its usage should be quite relevant. Locating the splash pad in the forest of North Shore Park guarantees there will be ongoing maintenance problems keeping it clean from the natural forest debris such as grass, dirt, cedar droppings and leaves. It will cost the taxpayers more staff-hours per year to service and clean at this location. This proposed location certainly does not consider any recommendations and lessons learned by other municipalities who located their splash pad in the wrong area. North Shore Park is currently an ecotourism draw because of the beautiful cedar forest and this park is a distinct alternative from the noise and congestion of the busy Port Elgin main beach area. For 110 years North Shore Park has been popular with both locals and tourists alike because of its tranquil forest atmosphere and is truly the last of it’s kind in Port Elgin. When will due diligence occur? An informed decision on this location needs to be based on thoughtful research and discussion on family population density, accessibility, parking, on-going maintenance costs, safety, long-term development planning, environmental impact and the importance of the preservation of valuable green space within our community. Council's vote to pass this location in principle was not based on any of these important factors. Proper stewardship of the 110 year North Shore Park was not given any consideration. This proposed project did not follow normal long-term infrastructure planning methods and is a dangerous precedent to set. Protecting North Shore Park from unnecessary development should be a priority in Saugeen Shores now and in the future. Email or call the Mayor and every member of Council now to let them know what North Shore Park means to you and your family. Please speak up and give your opinion before it’s too late and the final Council decision is made, the trees cut and the concrete poured. In addition attend the upcoming public information meeting on the splash pad to express your views on this proposed project. We believe that North Shore Park should be preserved as a natural well-forested public park for future generations of residents and ecotourism visitors. For more information please visit: savenorthshorepark.org. Please express your opinion to our elected officials: Mayor Mike Smith (519) 389-9657 mayor@saugeenshores.ca Deputy Mayor Luke Charbonneau (519) 832-6010 charbonneaul@saugeenshores.ca Vice Deputy Mayor Diane Huber (519) 797-1949 dhuber@saugeenshores.ca Councillor Neil Menage (519) 832-9987 nmenage@saugeenshores.ca Councillor John Rich (519) 386-9935 jrich@saugeenshores.ca Councillor Mike Myatt (519) 832-1078 mmyatt@saugeenshores.ca Councillor Dave Myette (519) 832-3423 dmyette@saugeenshores.ca Councillor Cheryl Grace (519) 483-5537 cgrace@saugeenshores.ca Councillor Don Matheson (519) 797-1171 dmatheson@saugeenshores.ca Friends of North Shore Park, Jody Mahon Dave Hornsby Paul Knechtel