Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Gull Lake, A Muskoka Jewel

SIMPLY MUSKOKA - ISN'T IT WONDERFUL - BUT CAN WE MAKE IT BETTER? SOME ELECTED OFFICIALS THINK THEY CAN!


MUSKOKA AS WALDEN-


EARLIER TODAY, I BROKE A PROMISE TO MY WIFE…..THE SAME DEAR WOMAN WHO HAS BEEN ABUNDANTLY PATIENT WITH THE WRITER-KIND FOR SO LONG, WITH SO MANY OATHS GIVEN ON BENDED KNEE, AND CROSSED HEART, THAT I WOULD STOP INVOLVING MYSELF IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT POLITICS. I AM A CAD! A LIAR! TWO FACED! A JUDAS! I WILL APOLOGIZE TO HER AS I HAVE HUNDREDS OF TIMES BEFORE. BUT I WILL NOT DO THE SAME TO MY CONSCIENCE, FOR DRAGGING IT OUT OF SEMI-IMPOSED RETIREMENT. SOME THINGS JUST HAVE TO BE SAID….AND IN THIS CASE, WRITTEN.

TIME AND AGAIN, AN ISSUE WILL ARISE, THAT NECESSITATES THE POOR WOMAN, HAVING TO YANK MY HEAD OUT, FROM THE SKULL-SHAPED HOLE, I JUST MADE IN THE CEILING ABOVE MY CHAIR. "YOU'VE BEEN READING THE PAPER AGAIN, HAVEN'T YOU," SHE ASKS, KINDLY WIPING THE PLASTER OFF MY FOREHEAD, AND BANDAGING MY BATTERED NERVES WITH A HUG. THAT'S NOT WHERE IT ENDS HOWEVER, AND IT'S PRECISELY WHAT I'VE SWORN-OFF ABOUT A HUNDRED TIMES, JUST IN THE PAST SIX MONTHS. IT'S WHAT I REALLY DON'T WANT TO INVOLVE MYSELF WITH, BUT I AM POWERLESS TO STOP. WHEN SUZANNE ISN'T HERE, I MAKE A BEE-LINE FOR THE COMPUTER, TO WRITE A COUNTERPOINT TO SOMETHING I HAVE JUST THEN CONSUMED FROM THE WEEKLY PRESS. TODAY IT WAS ABOUT BIG PLANS FOR A SMALL, WONDERFUL LAKESIDE PARK, AND AN HISTORIC ENTERTAINMENT VENUE KNOWN AS "THE BARGE."

YOU CAN VIEW MY HONEST APPRAISAL OF THE MOST RECENT PROPOSALS FOR PARK UPGRADES, AND BARGE ENHANCEMENTS, ON MY GRAVENHURST; HOMETOWN ADVANTAGE BLOG-SITE. THIS HAS BEEN A CONTENTIOUS ISSUE FOR SOME TIME, BECAUSE OF WHAT OUR TOWN HASN'T DONE, THAT WAS THEIR STEWARDSHIP RESPONSIBILITY. TO MAKE SURE ANNUALLY, THAT THE BARGE, WHICH IS A WOODEN ISLAND ON IRON SUPPORTS, A FEW METERS FROM THE SHORE, IS STRUCTURALLY SOUND. THE TOWN OWNS IT…..AS DO WE, THE CONSTITUENTS OF THIS TOWN, AND THEY DIDN'T FOLLOW THROUGH, AS SHOULD HAVE BEEN ROUTINE. NOT THE OCCASIONAL GLANCE, OR THE RE-SURFACING OF A FEW BOARDS…. OF WHICH QUITE A FEW HOLD MORE WATER THAN WOOD FIBRE. SO NOW THAT THE TOWN REALIZES THE BACKTRACKING IS EXPENSIVE, AND THE UPGRADES WILL COST A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF MONEY THEY DON'T HAVE, WE FIND THE OLD WAYS COMING BACK TO HAUNT US ALL OVER AGAIN…….THE SEEKING OF THE GRANTS TRICK, TO IMPROVE NOT ONLY THE BARGE, BUT THE PARK AS AN ENTERTAINMENT VENUE…..BY GOUGING OUT THE SHORELINE, AND PUTTING IN SOME SORT OF CONCRETE BUNKER WITH SEATS. THE PROVINCE JUST CLOSED ONTARIO PLACE, RIGHT? DID I MENTION, THE NEWLY PROPOSED ROOF TO GO ON THE SAGGING BARGE. WHAT BEGAN AS A REPAIR JOB….LONG, LONG OVERDUE, HAS BECOME A MUCH BIGGER CONSIDERATION, AND THE MONEY WILL HAVE TO COME AS A GRANT……MONEY FROM THE CANADIAN TAXPAYERS, OR JUST THE ONTARIO TAXPAYERS, HELPING US IMPROVE A PARK THAT FRANKLY IS PRETTY DARN GOOD ALREADY. THE SMOKE AND MIRRORS AROUND HERE, LET ME TELL YOU, IT'S ENOUGH TO PROPEL A TAXPAYER RIGHT THROUGH THE CEILING, THE TRUSSES AND PAST THE PLYWOOD AND SHINGLES.

GULL LAKE PARK HAS EVERYTHING IT NEEDS. OF COURSE IT COULD ALWAYS BENEFIT FROM BETTER WASHROOM FACILITIES, AND CHANGE ROOMS FOR THE BEACHFRONT, AND AN ENHANCED PLAYGROUND WOULD MAKE SENSE. THE BARGE IS PERFECTLY CENTERED ON THE LAKE, AND THERE IS AMPLE ROOM FOR MORE BENCHES, AND EVEN SOME BLEACHER SEATING, WITHOUT DISTURBING ONE SHOVEL-FULL OF SHORELINE EARTH. WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR CONCERN ABOUT BUILDING UP TO THE EDGE OF OUR WATERWAYS? ISN'T THAT SOMETHING THE MUNICIPALITY IS CONCERNED ABOUT…..SET BACKS FROM EXISTING WATERWAYS. ALLOWING THE FILTERING OF RUN-OFF WATER……THROUGH EARTH AND VEGEGATION. CONCRETE ISN'T GREAT AT FILTERING RUN-OFF.

THE PROBLEM HERE IS THAT A "GRAND PLAN" GETS ATTACHED TO SOMETHING THAT DIDN'T NEED A "GRAND" ANYTHING…..JUST COMMON SENSE, BASIC, YEAR TO YEAR MAINTENANCE. WE DON'T NEED ALL THE ATTACHMENTS THE GRAND PLANNERS THINK WE SHOULD HAVE….TO MAKE THE PARK A BETTER PLACE TO BE. WITH ITS LOW BUDGET OFFERINGS, AND ITS HIGH RATE OF RETURN, WHY START SCREWING ABOUT, TO IMPROVE WHAT IS ALREADY GOOD ENOUGH. WHAT STARTED OUT AS A PLEA TO OUR TOWN COUNCIL, TO FIX WHAT THEY HAVE STEWARDSHIP OF, HAS BECOME AN EPISODE OF THE SIMPSONS…..WHERE THE NEXT THING YOU KNOW, WE'LL BE GETTING A MONO-RAIL, BECAUSE SHELBYVILLE HAS ONE. THE BARGE NEEDS REPAIRS. IN ORDER TO SUPPORT A ROOF STRUCTURE, IT NEEDS AN UPGRADE SUPPORT SYSTEM. THE KIND OF IMPROVEMENTS COUNCIL IS ENTERTAINING, TO IMPROVE SOUND CAPABILITIES AND ACOUSTICS, SEEMS THE KIND OF LARGE SCALE MODIFICATIONS, WELL BEYOND WHAT BARGE MANAGER FRED SCHULZ PRODUCES SUNDAY NIGHTS, THROUGH THE SUMMER SEASON. WHAT WE'RE ON THE VERGE OF HERE, IS AN ENTERTAINMENT VENUE FOR MUCH ENHANCED PROGRAMS TO BE RUN BY WHO…….WELL, THEY MUST HAVE AN IDEA BECAUSE WHY ELSE WOULD THEY GO TO THIS EXTENT OF RE-DEPLOYMENT WITHOUT A MANAGERIAL OVERVIEW….OR IS THE TOWN OFFICIALLY ENTERING THE ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS? IT HASN'T WORKED SO WELL AT OUR OPERA HOUSE, WHICH IS ONE OF THE MOST UNDER-UTILIZED BUILDINGS IN PUBLIC OWNERSHIP. THERE IS A PLAN HERE THAT IS WELL BEYOND WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS ON THE TABLE, WHEN MANY OF US REQUESTED THE TOWN UPHOLD THEIR END OF THE STEWARDSHIP THING……AND INSTEAD OF GETTING SECURITY REPAIRS, TO KEEP ON PRODUCING ON A SAFELY ANCHORED PLATFORM, A FEW COUNCILLORS HAVE APPARENTLY TAKEN THE REPAIRS TO MEAN A TOTAL OVER-HAUL, WITH SERIOUS MODIFICATIONS TO THE SHORELINE….RIGHT BESIDE THE PUBLIC BEACH. A CITY PLAN. NOT A TOWN PLAN, IN ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL, NATURAL AREAS OF THE PROVINCE.

UNDOUBTEDLY THERE WERE OPPONENTS OF THE BARGE, WHEN IT WAS INITIALLY PROPOSED, AND I TRUST THOSE SENTIMENTS WERE ADDRESSED. POSSIBLY I WOULD HAVE BEEN ONE OF THEM BACK IN THE 1950'S, CONCERNED ABOUT MESSING UP A PERFECT LAKE SCENE. ARGUABLY, EVERY DEVELOPMENT HAS ITS DETRACTORS. OBJECTORS TO THE WAY IT WILL ADVERSELY AFFECT THE PICTURESQUE QUALITIES, THE SERENITY AND ECOLOGY OF THE SUBJECT PROPERTY. THERE WERE THOSE WHO WORRIED THEN, AND NOW, ABOUT WHAT THE ENHANCED VENUE WILL DO TO THE NATURE OF THE PARK, AND HOW IT WILL COMPROMISE THOSE WHO LIVE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. THERE IS NO WAY OF AVOIDING POINT, COUNTER-POINT. WHAT MAKES ME SO NERVOUS, IS WHEN THE TOWN STARTS MOUTHING OFF ABOUT "SHOVEL-READY PROJECTS, LIKE THE GULL LAKE PARK MODIFICATIONS, WELL BEFORE MAKING IT CLEAR THE PUBLIC WILL HAVE THEIR SAY, AS WILL VARIOUS GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, WHETHER THE PROJECT IS TRULY "SHOVEL- ANYTHING." I HAVE READ THIS NUMEROUS TIMES ALREADY IN THE LOCAL PRESS, GIVING THE IMPRESSION TO READERS, THE SHOVEL COMES FIRST…….AND THE PUBLIC CONSULTATION, "DO WE HAVE TO?" AH, THE "FAST TRACK" APPROACH. YOU KNOW, FAST TRACKING WOULD HAVE BEEN SO BLOODY APPROPRIATE ABOUT TEN YEARS AGO, WHEN MUCH OF THE DAMAGE TO THE BARGE COULD HAVE BEEN DEALT WITH, BEFORE THE CRISIS STAGE, WE FIND OURSELVES AT PRESENT.

AS CRAFTY A WORDSMITH AS I FANCY MYSELF, (MOST LIKELY A CLUB OF ONE) BEING A BLOGGER AND ALL, I CAN NOT REASON WITH TOWN GOVERNANCE, AND WHAT THEY WANT IS WHAT THEY WANT……AND UNLESS FOLKS IN OUR TOWN, ARE WILLING TO REAR-UP, AND START SENDING IN THEIR PROTESTS, THIS COULD WELL BE THE OUTCOME……THAT A REALLY NICE PARK, WITH THE MOST BASIC MAN-MADE ATTRIBUTES OF ENTERTAINMENT, RECREATION AND COMFORT SERVICES, WILL BE TRANSFORMED INTO A COMMERCIALLY BURDENED ONTARIO PLACE NORTH…..THAT WILL START LOOKING A LOT LIKE THE WHARF, AND A LOT LESS LIKE A TRULY REFLECTIVE, ICONIC MUSKOKA PARKLAND, FOR THE CITIZENRY AND GUESTS.

THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH A BLOGGER CAN DO. WELL THERE IS THE GULLIVER'S TRAVELS THING….WHERE WE STRAP OURSELVES TO THE SHORELINE….THE SHOVELS BE DAMNED! THERE'S MUCH MORE TO COME ON THIS STORY.

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