By: Mike Anderson
The Town of Georgina will open its beaches but restrict parking to residents-only at three major waterfront parks – Willow Beach, Holmes Point and De La Salle – this upcoming Victoria Day long weekend.
Parking lots at Bonnie Park and North Gwillimbury Park will also be resident parking pass only.
The only beach parking available for non-residents will be at Sibbald Point Provincial Park, which has a parking capacity of 900 vehicles and usually fills up by 10 a.m. on most long weekends.
“We’re moving at this time during the stay-at-home order to a residents-only parking to control capacity at our waterfront parking lots,” said Fire Chief and EOC Director Ron Jenkins during his update to Council on May 19.
“This will be monitored and reassessed by onsite staff and the EOC as we move forward into the summer, and further directions are issued from the province in regards to reopening measures.”
The move follows an aborted plan by the Town’s Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) to install fencing along Lake Drive at Willow Beach and De La Salle, which was eventually removed due to safety concerns. However, the fencing will remain up at Homes Point.
“It wasn’t safe. And we certainly recognize that. And once the EOC was made aware the further installation of the fencing was immediately stopped and one side of the fencing was quickly removed by staff to increase safety along Lake Drive. The final sections were removed on Tuesday,” Chief Jenkins said.
“The risk with the fencing being up was not worth the benefit it was going to produce.”
The new parking restrictions will require Town staff to control access to the parking lots and turn away non-residents.
However, according to Ryan Cronsberry, Deputy CAO, two paid duty YRP officers will be assigned to assist with parking enforcement at Willow Beach and another two at De La Salle. The officers will also be on call to cover off Holmes Point.
Mr. Cronsberry told Council that a compliment of eight bylaw officers would also be scheduled during the long weekend.
“There’ll be proactive patrols focused around our beaches. They are well-versed in the areas where people park, and we have substantially increased our parking fines in those areas,” he said.
The Town recently increased “no parking” fines, from $30 to $100, and “no stopping fines,” from $50 to $150, in the “Waterfront Park Buffer Zone,” which includes the entire Lake Simcoe shoreline and lakeside neighbourhoods.
Still, the fines still need to be enforced, and Mr. Cronsberry is calling on residents to help bylaw officers identify illegal parked vehicles.
“You can flag an officer down if you see them. As well as call the Town at ext. 2281, and that will alert our officers,” Mr. Cronsberry said.
“They’re not an emergency service, but they will be there at some point in time, and they will be out dealing with people.”
According to a media release, the Town will also reduce the number of available parking spots at its waterfront parks. And once parking lots reach capacity, they will be closed.
Residents are required to display their 2021 resident parking pass to park. But if they have not obtained one (georgina.ca/ParkingPass), 2020 passes will be accepted.
If a resident does not have a parking pass, they can get a day pass by showing proof of residency, in this case, an Ontario Driver’s License with their local address.
The beaches and parks will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. with Town staff onsite to monitor the number of users and compliance with various COVID-19 restrictions under the “beaches in motion” protocol, which aims to keep everyone safe by reducing the time users spend on the beach.
The beaches and parks, according to the Town, will be for active recreation use only.
Parents supervising their children for water safety and people with accessibility requirements will be allowed to stay on the beach.
However, coolers, chairs, umbrellas and canopies are not allowed on the beach or in the park at this time.
Barbecues and outdoor cooking devices are also not permitted.
Picnic tables are not to be used. However, park benches can be utilized.
The Town will run radio ads and place signage — a combination of 16 Curbex mobile signs and digital billboards — along major roads to dissuade non-residents from parking at the waterfront parks.
However, it’s unclear whether the message will get through in time for the long weekend.
“We will make the parking lots resident-only for the stay-at-home order, but people are still going to drive up, and they’ll try to find a spot to park. That is going to be our challenge this weekend,” said Mayor Quirk during the Council session.
“We will need some patience from residents because we can’t be everywhere at the same moment.”
Mayor Quirk also indicated she wouldn’t hesitate to pull the plug, if things got out of control.
‘We will deal with the issues as they come up. If it becomes a huge problem, then we’ll have to do another pivot and another review. And if we need to close some of those waterfront parks, then we may have to close them completely,’ Mayor Quirk said.
“Should the safety of our staff or members of the public become a concern. We will have to close our waterfront parks and beach areas,” reiterated Chief Jenkins.
- Lakeview House Golf Course vandalized by ATVs - November 22, 2024
- Beyond the Fields – A documentary exploring the life of local farmers - November 21, 2024
- From Chicken to Cheesecake: A Sweet Comeback on High Street - November 21, 2024
