By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON.
January 12, 2014
It was always a poor cousin part of town. Young people were told by their parents that nice people didn’t spend much time in the Beachway part of town.
The railway line ran yards away from hundreds of homes at one point; the beaches were often packed with close to a thousand people. There are many that remember and celebrate the vivid sense of community that was once the Beachway – but that was a long time ago.
Today it is a bit of a backwater that the city is waiting to see totally changed and turned into some kind of a park – with no clear picture as to what kind of park they really want.
Burlington has always been a little at odds with the Beachway – the sewage treatment plant is in the middle of the community which doesn’t do much for the optics of that part of town – who wants to live next door to one of those.
The 30 homes in that part of town are in a kind of limbo – or real estate hell, while they wait for the Region and the city to figure out what they want to do. That decision won’t be seen until April of 2015. In the meantime all the people in that community know is that they won’t be expropriated and they aren’t going to get the services other parts of the city get.
Flooding along Lakeshore Road in the Beachway Park – home to some 30 residents. Poor ditch maintenance prevents the water from clearing. View is from the front seat of a car.
The warm weather is melting the heavy snow we had at a very rapid pace. People have been asked to ensure that the catch basins are cleared so that water can run into the sewer system.
There are no sewers along the part of Lakeshore Road that runs through the Beachway Park. The ditches that would normally carry the water away tend to fill up with sand that gets blown in from the lake just yards away.
And the city doesn’t spend much time taking care of those ditches – the result is large pools of water on the roadways with what the local people call very poor signage warning people of the danger.
Poor cousins indeed.
The people living in the Beachway are loathe to call their council member – they just want to see him booted out of office. So when there is a problem they turn to either the Mayor or Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward who always comes to their aid. Mayor Goldring tends not to involve himself in ward matters preferring to leave it to the council member.
The people in the Beachway are not shy about voicing their views: “Beach residents have repeatedly and publically mentioned the ditches need to be dug down because the wind blows the sand off the beach which fills up the ditches and the water has nowhere to go. City staff have been present at many meetings – obviously, this has also fallen on their deaf ears. It’s an easy fix” according to the residents.
Meed Ward agreed with the residents and in an email to that community said: “Very treacherous, thanks for sending. By copy of this email, I will ask our city staff to check when Lakeshore Road in this area is on the list for reconstruction and proper storm water management.” Meed Ward and Craven don’t exactly have a working relationship. Her answering calls from the Beachway community will drive Craven bananas.
A major upgrade to the water sewage treatment plan has heavy trucks using the Beachway Park portion of LAkeshore Road. Residents shouldn’t expect to see that road rebuilt for some time. However the ditches could be serviced to allow flood water to flow.
The city isn’t going to do very much on that part of Lakeshore Road – heavy trucks use the road daily while the hospital is being rebuilt and the sewage treatment plant continues with its major upgrade.
Extreme flooding as ice melts due to lack of road/ditch maintenance, very poor signage creating an extremely dangerous situation and fatal accident waiting to happen claim the residents. Immediate action is required.
With this much noise – something will be done. The residents shouldn’t have had to make any noise at all. The Beachway is a part of the city where taxes are levied and collected – and where services should be delivered.
Background:
Meed Ward Craven relationship.
Fate of the Beachway community.
The article mentions that when there is major flooding conditions become dangerous and a fatal accident could occur. I agree completely. As G. Stevenson points out Lakeshore road is a major roadway. If city council is concerned about cost perhaps they should consider the cost of a major lawsuit if someone dies because of they didn’t do there job and fix the problem. I am not talking just money. There is Burlington’s reputation and ability to attract new business to consider.
I also feel that it is very sad that residents have to go to a councillor in another ward because they own councillor will do nothing to help them.
The residents of the Beachway Community deserve the same respect as all other communities within the City. Haven’t they been beaten up enough over the past year?! You are correct in the statement that they have been told their homes won’t be expropriated, it’s “willing seller/willing buyer” after all, all as their properties devalue due to the knowledge of a long term plan to acquire all the properties, and the lack of maintenance and upkeep to the infrastructure.
Lakeshore Road, from Maple Avenue to the lift bridge, is a major roadway for motorists when the Skyway bridge is a a stand still due to road conditions, severe weather and high levels of traffic. Its used continuously by not only the residents but motorists from near and far. It should be a priority to be maintained.
On another note… it saddens me that the city has also decided not to maintain the parking lots and pathway along the beachway during the winter months. The trail is a perfect place all year long for walkers and runners but this season it has been deserted due to the poor upkeep.
I fully understand there is a huge competition for tax dollars… but wasn’t the public told that the Beachway is a gem and will be even more so when its all parkland??? Wondering how this is going to be possible when the city is having a hard time delivering the Beachway potential in its current state.
Some common sense should take precedent, over and above the need for greed by some of our elected officials.