Some commercial activity has popped up in the Beachway Park. Rent yourself a paddle boat and get out on the water.

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON.  June 6, 2013.  It’s a good idea; it should work.  And if you ever wanted to try out one of those stand up paddle boards well Maria Gerow has just the thing for you.

Gerow has always thought setting up a rental location for paddle boats and deck chairs somewhere along the Beachway Park was a great idea.  “I’ve had the idea for more than five years and I’ve been bugging the city for the past three years about renting the Pump House and running a rental operation out of the place”, she said.

Many have wanted something in the Pump House – the hope was that maybe an upscale wine bar – the best that could be done was a rental outlet. The signage on the door isn’t very upscale. Perhaps there will be something better than a hand drawn sign in the near future.

When the city Waterfront Access Protection Advisory Committee (it was sunset last December) recommended putting something in the building – they thought an upscale coffee shop with a nice selection of wines would be just the ticket – Gerow saw her chance and when the city ran its advertisement looking for a tenant for the space she moved real quick and got her idea in front of the right people and before she knew it – well it didn’t happen quite that fest – I mean this is city hall – she had a three year contract and opened up the last long weekend and she was in business.

Looks easy enough and if you want to try it – Burlington Beach Rentals is the place.

A Burlington resident Gerow was in insurance for some time but that entrepreneurial streak in her came to the surface and she now has a business called Burlington Beach Rentals – where you can rent paddle boats; stand up boards, chairs to sit out in the beach on with an umbrella.

Sun tan lotion, sun glasses will also be available.  Small rental lockers and for those who rent chairs – WiFi is also available.

Gerow has targeted the “family friendly” market.  If you’re a boozer and a carouser – don’t bother dropping by. 

Two adults or one adult and a child. Looks like fun.

Prices seem reasonable and according to Gerow the demand is there.  Now all she needs is some sunshine.

The Beachway will be going through a change; not in the next six months but certainly in the next few years.  The Regional Planning people produced a report which they felt set out a detailed background.  some feel the report was badly biased and there is a bit of a move to have the report sent back for a re-write.

However, the report is a regional document and the decision as to what will be done is a Regional decision.  It will be up to the Burlington Council members to convince their fellow regional council members to accept what Burlington wants done.  And that is a large part of the problem: Burlington isn’t at all clear on what it wants.

The people who live in the Beachway have made their point loud and clear – they don’t want to have to move.  They like where they are and they think that if anything is done about housing in the Beachway it should be to add more housing.

The  Family Medical facility under construction will be the first part of a several phase re-build of the hospital. When completed it will change fundamentally the way people see and use the west end of LAkeshore Road.

A couple of years from now the hospital will open the Family Medical facility where ten new doctors will practice on the ground level of a structure that will have several levels of parking.  The entrance to that facility will be off Lakeshore Road which will change the traffic pattern considerably.

When the hospital completes its re-build the entrance to the hospital will also be on Lakeshore Road which will change that par of the city.

Lakeshore Road will become the entrance way to a park – what we don’t know is what kind of a park will it be?

The Waste Water Treatment Plant upgrade will be completed by the time the Family Medicine Facility is operational.  The planned planting of a cedar tree screen will make the roadway much different than it is today.

Is the Burlington Beach rental operation the first part of the change?