No 'quick fix' for ongoing complaints regarding Georgina's beaches: Mayor

Yorkregion.com
August 15, 2018
Heidi Riedner

Resident only beaches, towing rather than ticketing illegally parked vehicles, and ramped up police and bylaw officer presence are among the potential solutions the town is considering after a summer season of packed beaches in Georgina triggered a wave of complaints from area residents.

“We do need to get a plan that addresses all the issues," Mayor Margaret Quirk said ahead of a report on the matter by acting CAO Dave Reddon at council Wednesday, Aug. 15.

"We know that the problem is not going away and (with) more people coming to Georgina, the issue is only going to increase. There is no simple answer or quick fix to this situation."

A comprehensive staff review will explore issues such as illegal parking, increasing parking spaces and bumping up patrols by both town bylaw staff and police, Quirk added.

While the town did put together a plan for the last two long weekends that included paid duty police and increased staff presence to handle garbage collection, park attendance and bylaw enforcement, Quirk acknowledged there were still issues.

Complaints ran the gamut from blocked roadways to cars parked illegally and from excessive garbage to the "disgusting" state of the portable toilets at Holmes Point.

"Upon learning of the concern surrounding the porta potties at Holmes Point, the town addressed it promptly," Georgina's corporate communications manager, Tanya Thompson, said.

"Given the extreme heat event combined with the long weekend, Georgina’s beaches saw a substantial increase in visitors than in previous years," she added. "For long weekends, it is standard practice for the town to increase the scheduled maintenance for Holmes Point. During the week, porta potties are maintained on a regular schedule."

To date, repeated requests for permanent washrooms at the park have been denied, but Thompson said Holmes Point has been identified as an area where concerns have been raised and will be part of the review.

So will increasing parking fines from the current $50, potentially towing illegally parked vehicles, and paving existing parking lots and/or hiring parking lot staff to ensure maximum lot coverage.

Parking is a huge issue, with many visitors willing to take the hit of multiple parking tickets and reports of some residents offering parking, for a fee, on their properties.

To date, the town has collected $333,000 from waterfront paid parking lots, which cost between $20 and $35 for weekends.

In addition, 610 fines totalling $23,660 were issued between Friday and Monday of the Canada Day long weekend while from Aug. 3 to Aug. 6, 547 fines totalling $20,630 were issued for parking infractions.

The need for a more strategic approach to dealing with these issues, instead of one-off responses, has been raised at council since 2016, particularly by Ward 3 Counc. Dave Neeson, who represents constituents in the Willow Beach area.

As for the waterfront strategy discussed during the 2017 budget deliberations, a consultant wasn't hired, Quirk said, but she added staff did "work through" many topics.

"I am sure our new director of recreation and culture will be looking at the outstanding issues."