Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor,
A couple of days ago, I submitted the following letter to the Memorial Park committee. Then, I was shown the Scotts’ letter to the editor in last week’s paper. I decided to forward my letter to you to add another voice that echoes the Scotts’ concern for Memorial Park’s future.
I am responding to your request for public reaction to the various proposed changes to Memorial Park.
I have looked at the scenarios shown and find them all attempts to make money for the town, ironically, at the expense of townspeople. For the sake of a short-term partial fix for a long-term problem, viz. create enough revenue to pay a few municipal bills today, I find this kind of solution short-sighted and sad for our town.
The local people have used every inch of that park for generations. Children learn to swim there, and with the state of the local swimming pool, the lake shore is ever more important. Local families go there for picnics, to swim, and to socialize with friends at no expense; they use that park all year for seasonal activities. In these penny-pinching times that’s especially important for people of all ages – for social, health, and community reasons at the very least.
I have already seen the encroachment into public space over the past few decades of adding campgrounds. The effect has been to shorten the available beach area for local people; it has also required more and more amenities which in turn has put pressure on the pristine nature of the land and often the water quality along the shore. More has never been enough and now you are considering cutting down more trees, ripping out the beautiful trillium walks, adding more campsites and/or cabins, adding more roads and amenities to draw more paying campers. All for short term gain and long term loss for this community.
I am strongly opposed to any changes that involve bringing more campsites to this pretty park.
Cleanup the shoreline only – to protect the beach – and pay for it by keeping the park proceeds for the park only.
Yours truly,
Mary Clark, Meaford
