The creation of a series of parks that will blend the more manicured Spencer Smith into the more natural Beachway will begin this fall.

By Pepper Parr

May 12, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

Staffers at city hall are there to carry on the business of government – they are there to do the things that council has decided are best for the city.

That Council, which you elected, hired a city manager who directs the bureaucracy – who – and this is something they tend to forget – are there to send the money that you the tax payer give them.

They are there to do your will – and that of course is where it gets a little tricky.

Whose will? There are many “wills”. There are those who want bicycle lanes everywhere; there are those who want to see less money spent on buses because they feel no on uses the things.

There are those who want calming bumps on street and there are those who want the speed limits lifted.

This is where the politicians have to sense what the public wants and then actually lead rather than react to three people who show up at council meetings to complain.

LaSalle Park Marina – boats getting put back into the water.

Water that is shared by the Trumpeter swans.

One of the more interesting conflicts is what the environmentalists and the boating people are going through at LaSalle Park. The environmentalists want to ensure that the trumpeter swans have a safe place to live – the boating people wants a safe place for their craft.

Both have legitimate arguments – and both have rights – finding a balance that will work for both is proving difficult for this council – it remains to be seen how this one gets worked out.

Spencer Smith Park is one of the city’s gems. It is used by thousands and taken care of by staff who have a real challenge on their hands.

The park is going to be extended west towards the canal that separates us from Hamilton. There was a lot of controversy over the decision to create a park that was a huge upgrade from what is in place now.

Ingrid Vanderbrug – a city landscape planner

During a Jane’s Walk put on by the Sustainable Development Committee last weekend we learned a lot more than city hall was telling people.

The Gazebo which is a significant part of the park – might be seeing the end of its life – the city has plans for something that is accessible and will allow for significantly different uses – there wasn’t any public discussion that we were aware of.

With the technology available today it is so easy to get opinions – the city spent hundreds of thousands on the software that allows them to get a response on any question in a matter of days – add that to the soundings the members of council have and it doesn’t take long to get a sense of what people want – and it is their city – it is their park.

The plan is to grow some vegetation behind the benches which we hope planners will have some wood on top of the concrete – creating a comfortable place to rest.

During that same walk we learned that the patch of land in Spencer Smith Park where the original Brant Inn used to be located is going to get an upgrade which will be one of the first steps in the creating of the several parks that will appear in the Beachway

The landscaping people in the planning department have realized that there aren’t many places in that stretch of the park to sit in shade.

A set of benches are going to be put in with a trellis to shade the area and plants that will stop the geese from coming into the park from the water.

A very attractive monument marking a point in the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope run 35 years ago will be unveiled in Spencer Smith Park this weekend.

The benches will give a very clear line of sight to the Terry Fox marker/monument that will be unveiled this weekend.

Preparing the existing Beachway community for the major changes coming to that part of town are slowly coming about.

The sand dunes in the Beachway are significant and sensitive parts of the ecology of the Beachway.  Seedlings are being planed and invasive plans being pulled out – all under the guidance of the Regional planners who are designing and will implement the plans.  The city will operate the park once it is completed.

Earlier this week the city began the task of raising Lakeshore Road where it curves around the Joseph Brant Museum and leads to the new entrance to the hospital expansion that is under construction.

This home is in a location that just doesn’t fit with the plans that have been created for a much different Beachway community. Do plans ever get changed – and if they were changed how would this home be integrated into the existing plans? Don’t expect the couple that live in this home to go quietly into the night with a big cheque in their pockets. Would you?

The owner of this home is putting on insulation – perhaps with a federal or provincial grant, which would be ironic. This owner doesn’t look like a willing seller.

All this takes place while the delicate back and forth of property purchases takes place.  The Region has what they refer to as a willing seller/willing buyer policy that has them buying the 25+ homes in the Beachway from any seller who wants to part ways with what they own.

Why would a home like this be torn down? For a park?

The implication here is that every property owner will eventually sell.  Wait for the really nasty fights when the last three or four hold outs meet wit the power of local government.