Letter to the Editor (open letter to Council),
I thought a while about writing this email, because I really don’t think it will make a difference. Why ?
I have been watching the discussion for the development by the lake in Port Elgin for 3 years, at first I thought what a great idea, now I am not so sure. I have watched the Preserver group online. I have watched council have numerous closed door meetings, removing any premise of transparency.
The Preserver group has many good points and I am certain there is also an air of personal agendas for a few people there.
For some members of council I fear that they have been fighting for this for so long that is may have become a quest, where they are determined to see it through even it the current plan may not be the best, losing site of the forest for the trees. I may be wrong but perception these days matters a lot, I hope very much I am wrong.
I now, don’t believe the current plan is the best way to go. Here is why:
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The idea and business case prior to COVID was probably very attractive. Now, I see restaurants in Saugeen Shores closing, others struggling, the current business climate and costs of living are driving people to stay home. Question does the business case really fly, in the current climate ? Has the business case been properly updated and costed with the 2025 costs (ie taxes, electricity, gas, and so on)
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Look at beach restaurants up and down the coast, many close in October and don’t reopen until May for good reason, the environment by the lake is not conducive to year round business.
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One of the main tenants in the new building may be Dairy Queen, in the winter at the lake, nope, again April to October (7 months per year)
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A Banquet Hall on the beach in the Winter, maybe New Years Eve, January, February, March and early April not really
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This leaves a relatively narrow window for profit, my guess given my 40 years of writing and managing contracts and extensive restaurant experience, suggests that the Banquet Hall will need to be booked 4 to 5 days per week to be profitable during the May to September window, this will overrun the beach with parking and put much pressure on the ecosystem. If you doubt this, look at the garbage on the trails around Saugeen Shores, now imagine that compressed into a small area on the beach. Sure you could say the business will need to keep it clean, but this is another cost driving down profits.
I suggest to council that It’s not too late to rethink this plan and perhaps go in a slightly different direction, here is a quick different vision:
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Perhaps a few smaller restaurants that blend into the beach (think similar to Sauble Beach)
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Expand the Pavilion with a small amphitheater, perhaps 200-250 seats. The amphitheater could be built so that sand naturally fills the supports behind creating new dunes and melding with the wildlife. The Pavilion could then offer music and other arts as well as providing an excellent venue for wedding ceremonies. After the ceremony guests could enjoy a beautiful setting at the new restaurants while they wait for the reception. Of course during the summer for events like the Sunday music, people could sit in the new amphitheater or at the new restaurants and enjoy the music.
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For the Banquet Hall and receptions, there are several places in town that would be much better suited, Lord Elgin Fish and Chips is for sale, a great building that could easily be upgraded to a Banquet Hall and already has ample parking.
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Dairy Queen in Kincardine is downtown and does quite well. What if Chesters for a full DQ Restaurant or the Ashanti’s for a base DQ were made available, this would create great and much needed foot traffic downtown Port Elgin. Perhaps council could redirect some funds from the current plan to attract DQ into these buildings. Perhaps not possible but creative thinking.
I am certain that a new vision with a smaller footprint would receive much wider acceptance, than the current plan. A new plan need not delay things further, a smaller footprint will be a shorter build, take the requested 10 month delay to create a new plan and deliver in the same window as the current plan.
In conclusion, I am asking/begging Council to rethink the current plan, you are at a crossroad, you have the opportunity (assuming everyone council member has an equal vote on this matter), to ask the developer to come back with a new vison and vote NO to the requested extension.
Thanks for reading as I said above I doubt anything will change.
Cheers,
Neil Sarginson
