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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOctober 21, 2024 - Waterfront Advisory CommitteeTHE CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF BAYHAM WATERFRONT ADVISORY COMMITTEE AGENDA TRACKLESS LOUNGE 56169 Heritage Line, Straffordville, ON Monday, October 21, 2024 5:00 p.m. 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. DISCLOSURES OF PECUNIARY INTEREST & THE GENERAL NATURE THEREOF 3. DELEGATIONS 4. ADOPTION OF MINUTES FROM PREVIOUS MEETING(S) A. Minutes of the Waterfront Advisory Committee Meeting held July 15, 2024 5. MATTERS OF BUSINESS A. Memo WAC-11/24 re Council Decisions – WAC Recommendations to Council B. Memo WAC-12/24 re 2024 Education Sessions / 2025 Blue Flag Application C. Memo WAC-13/24 re East Beach Risk Assessment Update D. Memo WAC-14/24 re 2025 Committee Meeting Schedule 6. ADJOURNMENT THE CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF BAYHAM WATERFRONT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES TRACKLESS LOUNGE 56169 Heritage Line, Straffordville, ON Monday, July 15, 2024 5:00 p.m. PRESENT: CHAIR RAINEY WEISLER COMMITTEE MEMBERS SERGE PIETERS MARNI WOLFE ASHLEY CARDINAL VAL DONNELL ED KETCHABAW *Ex-Officio STAFF ATTENDANCE: CAO THOMAS THAYER CLERK MEAGAN ELLIOTT MANAGER OF PUBLIC WORKS / DRAINAGE SUPERINTENDENT STEVE ADAMS **Due to the threat of inclement weather, the meeting did not commence at the Port Burwell East Beach, 1 Robinson Street, Port Burwell** 1. CALL TO ORDER Committee Chair Weisler called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. 2. DISCLOSURES OF PECUNIARY INTEREST & THE GENERAL NATURE THEREOF No disclosures of pecuniary interest were declared. 3. DELEGATIONS 4. ADOPTION OF MINUTES FROM PREVIOUS MEETING(S) A. Minutes of the Waterfront Advisory Committee Meeting held April 15, 2024 Moved by: Committee Member Pieters Seconded by: Committee Member Cardinal THAT the minutes of the Waterfront Advisory Committee Meeting held April 15, 2024 be approved as presented. CARRIED 2 5. MATTERS OF BUSINESS A. Memo WAC-08/24 re 2024 Beach Tour Moved by: Committee Member Donnell Seconded by: Committee Member Pieters THAT Memo WAC-08/24 re 2024 Beach Tour be received for information. CARRIED B. Memo WAC-09/24 re Council Decisions – WAC Recommendations to Council Moved by: Committee Member Wolfe Seconded by: Committee Member Cardinal THAT Memo WAC-09/24 re Outcomes of Recommendations to Council be received for information. CARRIED C. Memo WAC-10/24 re 2025-2034 Port Burwell East Beach / Pier Capital Items Moved by: Committee Member Donnell Seconded by: Committee Member Wolfe THAT Memo WAC-10/24 re 2025-2034 Port Burwell East Beach / Pier Capital Items be received for information; AND THAT the Waterfront Advisory Committee recommends to Council that Capital item PR-02 be amended to remove the beach playground equipment from the 2025-2034 Capital Budget; AND THAT the Waterfront Advisory Committee recommends to Council that Capital item PR-13 be moved to 2025. CARRIED Moved by: Committee Member Wolfe Seconded by: Committee Member Donnell THAT the Waterfront Advisory Committee recommends to Council to review the Waterfront Advisory Committee terms of reference to amend the scope to be in line with what area is included in the Waterfront Master Plan. CARRIED 6. ADJOURNMENT Moved by: Committee Member Wolfe Seconded by: Committee Member Cardinal 3 THAT the Waterfront Advisory Committee Meeting be adjourned at 6:01 p.m. CARRIED CHAIR CLERK MEMO WATERFRONT ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO: Waterfront Advisory Committee FROM: Thomas Thayer, CAO DATE: October 20, 2024 MEMO: WAC-11/24 SUBJECT: COUNCIL DECISIONS – WAC RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL BACKGROUND The Waterfront Advisory Committee had a meeting on July 15, 2024, from which one (1) motion included recommendations to Council. These were presented to Council at the August 15, 2024 Regular Meeting and the following motion was passed: Moved by: Councillor Emerson Seconded by: Councillor Froese THAT the Waterfront Advisory Committee Recommendations to Council be received for information; AND THAT discussions on playground equipment at the East Beach be deferred to the 2025-2034 Capital Budget deliberations; AND THAT a review of the Waterfront Advisory Committee Terms of Reference be deferred to the new term of Council. DISCUSSION The Draft 2025-2034 Capital Budget was posted on the website on October 15, 2024. The Special Capital Budget meeting is currently scheduled for Wednesday, November 13, 2024. The Draft 2025-2034 Capital Budget package specifically includes the above motion, which will be handled in concert with general public consultation comments. The Capital Item applicable to the above direction is PR-02 – Playground Equipment. The Item currently includes the east beach playground as direction has not been formally given to remove it from the Capital Budget. Council may choose to either remove or retain the east beach playground in this item. RECOMMENDATION THAT Memo WAC-11/24 re Outcomes of Recommendations to Council be received for information. MEMO WATERFRONT ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO: Waterfront Advisory Committee FROM: Thomas Thayer, CAO DATE: October 21, 2024 MEMO: WAC-12/24 SUBJECT: 2024 EDUCATION SESSIONS / 2025 BLUE FLAG APPLICATION BACKGROUND The Municipality makes application to Blue Flag International through Swim, Drink, Fish every fall in support of the Port Burwell East Beach’s bid for Blue Flag status in the following calendar year. Generally, this application period ends in November or December of the preceding year and costs $1,250 to submit. For the 2025 season, the Municipality has yet to be circulated its 2025 application template for upcoming intake. One of the primary application components is Education. The Municipality must identify five (5) educational programs to be sought for the upcoming season. These educational program can change year-over-year, or be consistent with previous years, and should address visibility of the Blue Flag program and/or environmental stewardship and education. In previous years, the Municipality has had success with a variety of education components include flag-raisings, Beachfest/Long Point Region Conservation Authority (LPRCA) programming, and Otter Valley Naturalist bioswale clean-up/maintenance efforts. In 2023, the Municipality added Ecodemy to its educational programing as well as the East Elgin Secondary School Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) for bioswale clean-up efforts. DISCUSSION The Municipality has historically utilized educational signage at the East Beach as a component of the programming. Further in 2024, a Blue Flag flag-raising was conducted and Bayham Beachfest proceeded with their event. Ecodemy was planned to attend the East Beach once again in September 2024, however, we were advised that they were dissolving and being rolled into another entity’s programming model, which unfortunately meant that they could not attend as planned. Municipal staff did engage other organizations to fill the space left by Ecodemy. Organizations included Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) and the LPRCA. However, neither organization was able to assist on short notice due to staff resource constraints. They did, however, advise that programming for the 2025 season with the proper lead-time may be possible. SWPH in particular is interested. They have conducted kid-friendly water sampling events, where children can test-sample collecting lake water, similar to how actual water beach samples are collected for analysis. Also for 2025, staff will be re-engaging the new entity into which Ecodemy was integrated to see if they would be willing to attend and run an event on green practices and sustainability, and environmental stewardship. Finally, as we are past the end of the beach season, the East Elgin ELP will be attending once more to conduct season-ending bioswale maintenance. With respect to educational events, staff generally take the lead to arrange for events that involve external bodies or organizations. WAC members may participate in these types of events as Municipal representatives. If WAC members wish to hold an event, they may do so with staff’s agreement and involvement. WAC members may also collaborate with other community groups to put on clean-up events at the beach so long as staff are made aware and approve of such an event taking place. The WAC’s role as far as education events is concerned is to provide input at the Q4 meeting on potential events for the upcoming season, contingent on a Blue Flag status award. The Municipality is open to discussing 2025 options for educational sessions at the East Beach. It is expected that educational signage, a flag-raising, and SWPH and/or Ecodemy educational sessions will once more be primary options for programming in 2025. Staff are continuously looking for opportunities through schools for similar partnerships. Clean-up days arranged by external groups or community organizations would also qualify, so long as they are open to the general public. It is worth noting that education event plans can change within a year. A Blue Flag status beach and organization is afforded flexibility in regards to changes to potential programming. Once staff have received the application intake information and form for the upcoming application season, staff will be making their application for Blue Flag status for the East Beach for 2025. It is worth noting that the East Beach did exhibit an increased frequency of poor water quality results in 2024 due to the timing and intensity of weather events. Water quality and safety are important components of the Blue Flag application and Blue Flag status. A high frequency of poor water quality results in a beach season can negatively impact an application for status in an upcoming year. Much of this aspect of beach management is outside the realm of Municipal staff, and we are beholden to weather impacts as they come. It is yet unknown how the East Beach’s 2024 water quality results will affect any future Blue Flag application. RECOMMENDATION THAT Memo WAC-12/24 re 2024 Education Sessions / 2025 Blue Flag Application be received for information. MEMO WATERFRONT ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO: Waterfront Advisory Committee FROM: Thomas Thayer, CAO DATE: October 21, 2024 MEMO: WAC-13/24 SUBJECT: EAST BEACH RISK ASSESSMENT UPDATE BACKGROUND As a component of the Blue Flag application, the Municipality was required to provide a risk assessment conducted by the Lifesaving Society to support its request for Blue Flag status. In 2024, the Municipality engaged the Lifesaving Society to update the risk assessment as ~6 years had passed and an update was required for future applications. DISCUSSION The assessment was conducted in August/September 2024 with the Manager of Public Works present to provide context and answer any questions as they arose. Out of the risk assessment, a number of recommendations of varying priority were provided. There are three levels of recommendations:  Priority Concerns  Primary Recommendations  Secondary Recommendations Priority Concerns represent major safety risks to the public and merit immediate action. Primary Recommendations address situations in contravention of a relevant Province of Ontario statute or the Lifesaving Society’s position on what constitutes reasonable safe practices. Secondary Recommendations are designed to enhance the safe use of the aquatic facility. The assessment provided 0 Primary Concerns, 5 Primary Recommendations, and 5 Secondary Recommendations. Primary Recommendations  Lifeguarded/patrolled waterfront  Barrier/railing along edge of pier  Replace current buoys  Provide disabled access to waterfront  Install enhanced telephone notices (re emergency usage) Secondary Recommendations  Enhance pier ladder safety  Remove distractions/notices on pier  Signage on both side of safety equipment posts  Install additional buoys  Install eyewash station Based on the recommendations, there is a significant cost associated with the primary recommendations, specifically the lifeguard recommendation and installing a barrier around the pier. The estimates are attached as compiled by the Manager of Public Works. A barrier for the pier may be between $150,000-250,000, and lifeguard operating and capital costs are also highlighted. Note that the lifeguard operating costs does not include wages for lifeguards. As a comparison, Central Elgin spent $240,000 (approx.) in 2023 on lifeguard patrol. A $240,000 increase in operating costs for lifeguard wages equates to ~3.6 percent on the tax levy. Swim, Drink, Fish does note that Blue Flag International may negatively look upon recommendations that are not actioned, which may impact any 2025 Blue Flag application. As 2025-2034 Capital Budget discussions are upcoming, this information will be before Council on November 6, 2024 for their information prior to the November 13, 2024 Special Capital Budget meeting. Given the scope of costs, these recommendations may not be fundable out of the levy. They may require another revenue source, such as paid beach parking. ATTACHMENTS 1. Recommendation costing notes – Risk Assessment Recommendations 2024 RECOMMENDATION THAT Memo WAC-13/24 re East Beach Risk Assessment Update be received for information. These cost reflect current value and do not include labour PRIMARY RECOMMENDATIONS Area Concern/Recommendation Action Taken Cost 1 Beach Enhance beach emergency information and phone location. -N/A -Costing/Sign Location - Eight locations total $122/per sign $976 2 Beach Provide disabled access to waterfront -N/A -Staff brought report PS 15/23 Sept. 7,2023 -The accessible pad was created for access to the beach. $35-50k 3 Water Replace Buoys -Staff remove yearly and replace annually if needed. When installed buoy are standing straight with stickers $650/buoy 2024- requires 4 $2,600 4 Pier Enhance Pier Safety – Possible barrier added Line currently painted ever two years New barrier or rail would interfere with ice jams and flows in high water situations. A removal able railing would be necessary. High level Stainless would require an RFQ however staff believe cost would be $200,000 based on length and online options. Substantial amount of staff time would be involved to add and remove annually. $150k-$250k SECONDARY RECOMMENDATIONS Area Concern/Recommendation Action Taken Cost 1 Utility Room Eye Wash Station/SDS sheets be added to room Eye wash bottle and SDS sheets were in room staff mounted bottle on wall and hung SDS sheets Sept. 24/2024 $34-bottle Hanger 2 Water Install additional buoys Staff will purchase in spring of 2025 1 additional buoy for location and install buoys closer to shore. $650 3 Beach Lifesaving identifying signs and second sign to post -Spring of 2025 staff will add a second sign to post. $68/sign Total $272 4 Enhance Safety Ladders Signage added to Pier Ladders. Staff will install signage in Spring 2025 when ladders are placed back in water $ 90/sign $360 for all ladders 5 Remove Notices at edge of pier Do not dump waste at edge of pier signage to be removed. Fall of 2024 or Spring of 2025 small stickers will be removed. N/A Staff time Lifeguard List of Supplies Needed Lifeguards make between 24-27/hr. Central Elgin utilizes 20 staff to man 4 towers. If this is the case here, these numbers are low. Operational Supply Quantity Cost Total Cost Annually-Long term Uniforms Min. 10 $500/guard $5,000 Annual UV Protection Min.10 $100/guard $1,000 Annual Rescue Line Min. 6 $75 $450 Semi annual Binoculars Min. 6 $65 $390 Semi Last seen Marker Min. 4 $85 $336 As needed Mask/Fins Min. 5 $ 100 $400 As needed Spine Board Min. 4 $ 800 $3,200 As needed or 5 years Oxygen Equipment Min. 2 $ 900 $ 1,800 As needed First Aid bags Min. 4 $ 300 $1,200 Annually Additional Supplies $500 $500 Annually Training Min. 10 $1000 $10,000 Annually Rescue tube Min. 4 $200 $800 Semi annually Total $25,076 Total one time Total $18,436 Annually Capital Supply Quantity Cost Total Cost Annually-Long term Lifeguard Towers 4 $9-12k $48,000 One time replaced 10 every years Rescue Boat 1 Fire? Radios 6 $1,000/unit $ 6,000 Replaced every 5 years AED 1 $ 3,000 3,000 5 years Signage 8 $ 250 $ 2,000 Chair umbrella 4 $ 300 $1,200 Semi- Annually Rescue Boards Min. 5 $ 1,800 $7,200 As needed Total $67,000 MEMO WATERFRONT ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO: Waterfront Advisory Committee FROM: Thomas Thayer, CAO DATE: October 21, 2024 MEMO: WAC-13/24 SUBJECT: 2025 COMMITTEE MEETING SCHEDULE BACKGROUND By-law No. 2023-014 establishes a Terms of Reference for the Waterfront Advisory Committee (WAC). Section 5 “Meetings” states: The Waterfront Advisory Committee will meet a minimum of four (4) times a year with Regular Meetings set quarterly by the Committee at the first meeting of the year. Additional meetings may be scheduled by the call of the Chair if required. At its January 15, 2024 meeting, the WAC passed the following motion: Moved by: Committee Member Donnell Seconded by: Committee Member Wolfe THAT Memo WAC-03/24 re Waterfront Advisory Committee 2024 Meeting Schedule be received for information; AND THAT the following meeting dates be the Regular Meetings for the Waterfront Advisory Committee for 2024:  Monday, April 15, 2024 at 5:00 pm (Trackless)  Monday, July 15, 2024 at 5:00 pm (Beach)  Monday, October 21, 2024 at 5:00 pm (Trackless) AND THAT the first meeting of 2025 be scheduled at the October 21, 2024 meeting. DISCUSSION The following date is proposed for the first WAC meeting in 2024:  January 20, 2025 This date is the third Monday of January. Meetings will continue to take place in the Trackless Lounge at the Straffordville Community Centre from 5 to 7pm local time. At the January 2025 meeting, the WAC will establish the remaining three (3) regular meeting dates of the calendar year. RECOMMENDATION THAT Memo WAC-13/24 re 2025 Committee Meeting Schedule be received for information; AND THAT the first meeting of 2025 will take place on January 20, 2025.