Problems at Innisfil Beach Park have included parking, overcrowding and lost revenues, issues that Innisfil Council has attempted to address.
An Innisfil Beach Park Ad Hoc committee, comprised of residents and local politicians, was established in February of this year, with a mandate to investigate and make recommendations to council that would “enhance the overall user experience at the park.”
The park, which has frontage on Lake Simcoe, offers extensive open areas and playing fields, as well as beaches – and has become a popular destination for visitors, many from the GTA.
On Oct. 9, members of the committee came to Council, to present a year-end report on their findings – and to ask for an extension of their mandate.
Over its term, the committee looked at garbage and the overflowing garbage cans at the park; health and safety issues; signage; parking enforcement; revenue generation; the operation of the boat launch, and general complaints of over-crowding.
Some items were an easy fix. The report noted that 25 new garbage cans were installed, to deal with overflowing trash bins.
New signage was introduced, at a cost of $3,855, clarifying the rules at the boat launch, providing directional arrows for various locations in the park, and informing visitors that there is ‘No-Smoking/No Vaping’ in the park.
Bringing in staff at peak boat launch hours – 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., and 3 to 4 p.m. – had a cost (approximately $1,970 for the summer), but reduced chaos and conflicts as boaters lined up to use the facility.
And increasing parking rates and boat launch fees – it now costs $20, up from $10 to launch a boat at Innisfil Beach Park, although residents continue to use the facility for free – have helped boost revenues in 2019 to $330,772.
That was still shy of projections, largely because of unfavourable weather in the spring and on some weekends.
Other issues are ongoing especially parking. A pilot project, to sign streets within a kilometre of Innisfil Beach Park as “Resident Parking Only” on weekends and statutory holidays, had mixed success.
There were not enough signs to meet Ministry standards, councillors were told, and some residents were confused – parking without their Resident tag or parking in ‘no parking’ zones. There were also complaints from visitors.
Other complaints received included the cost of parking, lack of lighting after dark, the need for bumpers or fenders on town-owned docks, issues of dogs running at large, and visitors dumping live coals from their barbecues in the park.
The town continues to balance the cost of using South Simcoe Police duty officers, or private security, to address traffic issues, and various user-pay options.
The committee's initiatives, over the summer, cost a total of $20,565 – including nearly $6,000 for a walk-in survey.
The committee got much of its information through surveys, polls and online questionnaires. The walk-in survey of boat launch users had 312 responses, and uncovered a number of details about launch use.
Nearly 82 percent of the boaters surveyed were local Innisfil residents; the remainder came largely from Barrie, Essa Twp., and the GTA. Over 50 percent spent 3 to 9 hours on the water, per visit – with about 38 percent engaging in watersports, 35 percent in fishing.
Innisfil council received the report, and extended the mandate of the committee to March 31, 2021.
Mayor Lynn Dollin, who sits on the committee, said the presenters did a "great job" in summarizing the progress over the year.
One issue that had been raised, but was not part of the presentation, was the suggestion that Innisfil Beach Park be turned into a 'residents-only' park, for those in Innisfil.
It was a suggestion that has been rejected by the committee. "The concensus is that it would be very difficult to administer, that we could find no example of where this was done in Canada, that it would be hypocritical for any of us to visit another municipal beach, and it would be 'un-Canadian'," Dollin said after the meeting.
The 7-member Ad Hoc committee is currently two members short, after a couple of resignations. Innisfil residents interested in getting involved have until Oct. 16 to apply, click here for details.
