Councillor Dennison wants to have a beer on the patio of the Pump House Pub and the sooner the better suits him just fine.

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON   April 18, 2012   They couldn’t approve the proposed Staff Direction quickly enough.  There was a friendly amendment that was just fine – that was to take out the word coffee shop and put in the word “pub” and with that a good idea that came out of the Waterfront Access Advisory Committee was in the hands of staff.

The plaque tells the story - has the Waterfront Advisory Committee done what is needed to give the building a new life?

The Staff Direction was to put out a Request for Expressions of Interest to commercial people who might be interested in taking the Pump House on the Beach way and turning it into a pub.   The Waterfront Advisory Committee had thought of a pub but didn’t think that was possible even though Donna Mae Ankrett thought that’s what they should go for. The Council Committee had no reservations and immedisately supported Councillor Dennison’s comment thsat he wanted to be able to have a beer out on a patio down there.

The downer there was that staff is swamped and wouldn’t get to this one until the fall – but what the heck, a step forward is a step forward – and this was most certainly a positive step forward.

No one on the Council committee made any mention of what the Conservation Authority may have had to say – they committee liked the idea and wanted to move it along.  The property actually belongs to the Conservation Authority and they have the last say on what can and can’t be done on the property but given that the Pump House has been there since 1906 – it`s going to be tough to argue that it can’t be put to public use and goodness knows that part of the city needs all the help it can get.

Members of the Waterfront Advisory Access Committee inspecting the Pump House on the Beachway. From the left Chair Nick Leblovic, Michael O'Sullivan, Ken Martin, Jeff Martin, Donna Mae Ankrett and Gary Scobie. Will they be around when the pub opens to share a brew and will the Committee pay for that first round?

Good work on the part of the members of the Beachway sub-committee of the Waterfront Advisory gang that pushed to get this past their chair and on to Council where things get done.

Community Services General Manager Scott Stewart advised the committee that there was some renovation –” fix things up a bit” work to be done and Councillor Dennison suggested that any work done should be minimal.  “Let whoever comes forward with a strong proposal cover the cost of bringing the space up to code and do it on their dime”, was his comment.

This one is going to happen.  Before the Pier opens?