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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOctober 20, 2025 - Waterfront Advisory CommitteeTHE CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF BAYHAM WATERFRONT ADVISORY COMMITTEE AGENDA TRACKLESS LOUNGE 56169 Heritage Line, Straffordville, ON Monday, October 20, 2025 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 21, 2025 5. MATTERS OF BUSINESS A. Memo WAC-12/25 re Council Decisions – WAC Recommendations to Council B. Memo WAC-13/25 re Paid Parking C. Memo WAC-14/25 re 2025 Education Sessions / 2026 Blue Flag Application D. Memo WAC-15/25 re 2026 Committee Meeting Schedule 6. ADJOURNMENT THE CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF BAYHAM WATERFRONT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES PORT BURWELL EAST BEACH & TRACKLESS LOUNGE 1 Robinson Street, Port Burwell ON & 56169 Heritage Line, Straffordville, ON Monday, July 21, 2025 5:00 p.m. PRESENT: CHAIR RAINEY WEISLER COMMITTEE MEMBERS 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 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 28, 2025 Moved by: Committee Member Donnell Seconded by: Committee Member Cardinal THAT the minutes of the Waterfront Advisory Committee Meeting held April 28, 2025 be approved as presented. CARRIED 5. MATTERS OF BUSINESS A. Memo WAC-09/25 re 2025 Beach Tour Moved by: Committee Member Wolfe Seconded by: Committee Member Cardinal THAT Memo WAC-09/25 re 2025 Beach Tour be received for information; 2 AND THAT the Waterfront Advisory Committee recommends to Council to have staff be directed to consult with the North Shore Resilience Working Group for dune grass location and post and rope. CARRIED The meeting recessed at 5:43 pm and resumed at 6:06 in the Trackless Lounge. B. Memo WAC-10/25 re Council Decisions – WAC Recommendations to Council Moved by: Committee Member Donnell Seconded by: Committee Member Cardinal THAT Memo WAC-10/25 re Outcomes of Recommendations to Council be received for information. CARRIED C. Memo WAC-11/25 re 2026-2035 Port Burwell East Beach / Pier Capital Items Moved by: Committee Member Wolfe Seconded by: Committee Member Donnell THAT Memo WAC-11/25 re 2026-2035 Port Burwell East Beach / Pier Capital Items be received for information; AND THAT the Waterfront Advisory Committee recommends to Council to consider the following: • Including all-gender washrooms, showers, change rooms and storage in FA-09 • Relocating PR-06 to another location in Port Burwell • Directing staff to investigate options to streamline signage at the East Beach CARRIED 6. ADJOURNMENT Moved by: Committee Member Wolfe Seconded by: Committee Member Cardinal THAT the Waterfront Advisory Committee Meeting be adjourned at 6:58 p.m. CARRIED CHAIR CLERK MEMO WATERFRONT ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO: Waterfront Advisory Committee FROM: Thomas Thayer, CAO DATE: October 20, 2025 MEMO: WAC-12/25 SUBJECT: COUNCIL DECISIONS – WAC RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL BACKGROUND The Waterfront Advisory Committee had a meeting on July 17, 2025, from which one (1) motion included recommendations to Council. These were presented to Council at the August 21, 2025 Regular Meeting and the following motion was passed: Moved by: Councillor Chilcott Seconded by: Councillor Emerson THAT the Recommendations to Council from the Waterfront Advisory Committee be received for information; AND THAT staff be directed to consult with the appropriate body for dune grass location and post and rope; AND THAT discussions on PR-06 be referred to the Capital Budget deliberations; AND THAT staff be directed to investigate options to streamline signage at the East Beach. DISCUSSION The Draft 2026-2035 Capital Budget was posted on the website on October 16, 2025. The Special Capital Budget meeting is currently scheduled for Tuesday, November 4, 2025. The Draft 2026-2035 Capital Budget package specifically includes the above motion, which will be handled in concert with general public consultation comments. Staff are currently working with representatives of the Long Point Region Biosphere on a dune grass planting/dune restoration program. The program will be focused on the eat bioswale along with additional post and rope installation. RECOMMENDATION THAT Memo WAC-12/25 re Outcomes of Recommendations to Council be received for information. MEMO WATERFRONT ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO: Waterfront Advisory Committee FROM: Thomas Thayer, CAO DATE: October 20, 2025 MEMO: WAC-13/25 SUBJECT: PAID PARKING BACKGROUND At its January 16, 2025 meeting, Council received Report BL-01/25 re Port Burwell East Beach – Paid Parking Options. The Report recommended $4/hour and $20/day rates for a pilot paid parking program at the Each Beach through HONK Mobile. Council passed the following motion: Moved by: Deputy Mayor Weisler Seconded by: Councillor Chilcott THAT Report BL-01/25 re Port Burwell East Beach – Paid Parking Options be received; AND THAT staff be directed to implement a 2025 pilot program with a daily rate for non-residents of $4/hour or $18/day and the availability for residents to obtain a $0 resident permit; AND THAT staff be directed to establish a reserve fund for net proceeds from the pilot program. This Memo provides high-level information on the pilot program. Staff note that a comprehensive Report will be provided to Council on November 20, 2025. DISCUSSION Implementation of the paid parking pilot program was conducted between the By-law Enforcement Officer, Manager of Public Works, and CAO. Honk Mobile was the platform that was used for the pilot. The pilot ran from May 1 through September 30. The Municipality onboarded a Season By-law Enforcement Officer (BLEO) to support the program. The Seasonal BLEO was with Bayham from late-April through mid-September and provided primary support in Port Burwell, specifically in the Beach and Beach Zone. Month Net Fee Revenue May $3,217.33 June $21,117.77 July $42,039.12 August $40,608.54 September $7,075.42 Total $114,058.18 The pilot generated approximately $114,000 in net revenues for the Municipality. This is significantly higher than the $70,000 included in the 2025 Operating Budget. Peak season ran from mid-June through mid-August over a 9-week period. The majority of revenues were generated during this period. The Municipality expects to net at least $60,000 from the pilot program after accounting for expenses associated with the following pilot-related items: • Seasonal BLEO salary and benefits • eBike purchase • Additional signage • Wi-fi The Municipality did have to enhance the wi-fi in mid-July due to connectivity issues. The issues were rectified through the Municipality’s new IT service provider. Staff note that approximately $6,000 in net revenues may have been lost due to these wi-fi issues, which, at the time were unknown and unforeseen. Given the estimated net surplus of $60,000 generated by the pilot, there is merit to making the program a permanent fixture at the East Beach. Staff will be recommending that a portion of the surplus be used as a funding source for debt to fund key capital items at the East Beach. The WAC is aware that a number of current budgeted capital items are levy-support or grant-contingent. Having debt available due to the presence of reliable own-source revenues can remove levy pressure from the capital file. For instance, $50,000 in reliable revenue can support approximately $500,000 in new debt for East Beach capital, which removes it from the levy and reduce the tax burden on Bayham taxpayers. Beach operations will still be covered by the levy through the Operating Budget. The WAC can recommend to Council about how the Committee believes this program should proceed. Staff reiterate an anticipated November 20, 2025 date for the Council report. RECOMMENDATION THAT Memo WAC-13/25 re Paid Parking be received for information. MEMO WATERFRONT ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO: Waterfront Advisory Committee FROM: Thomas Thayer, CAO DATE: October 20, 2025 MEMO: WAC-14/25 SUBJECT: 2025 EDUCATION SESSIONS / 2026 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 2026 season, the Municipality has yet to be circulated its 2026 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 programs 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. This item was included once more for 2025. DISCUSSION The Municipality has historically utilized educational signage at the East Beach as a component of the programming. Further in 2025, a Blue Flag flag-raising was conducted and Bayham Beachfest proceeded with their event. A few new educational programs were conducted at the Beach or through an environmental lens in 2025. The Port Burwell Library piloted a children’s reading group at the Beach. The pilot event was held on July 17, 2025. The pilot experienced high winds and poor weather, which contributed to less-than-expected uptake – approximately 20 children attended. The theme was coastal environmental impacts. Library staff have identified the willingness to expand this program in 2026, potentially with three or four dates and rain dates to cover the balance of the season. The WAC helped initiate a pair of educational components for 2025, which can be recycled in 2026 should there be interest in doing so. The Make-a-Pledge Campaign was live on the Municipal website in April. The intent is for interested parties to ‘make a pledge’ to be more environmentally conscious in their own day to day lives. Unfortunately, uptake was limited. This may be an event that could be repackaged in 2026 with additional advertisement from Committee members and the Municipality to encourage greater involvement. The WAC partnered with the Otter Valley Naturalists on a photography contest. Municipal Council pledged $250 in prize money for the best photos on an environmental/beach theme. Prizes were as follows: • 1st place - $100 • 2nd place - $75 • 3rd place - $50 • 4th place - $25 The context was heavily-subscribed, and the winners will be announced and presented with their prizes at the November 6, 2025 Regular Council meeting. Finally, staff engaged both the Long Point Region Biosphere and the ELP on end-of-season beach upkeep projects. The Long Point Region Biosphere will be attending the Beach in late October to conduct dune grass planting/dune restoration, and the ELP will be assisting with bioswale maintenance. The dune grass planting project is a tangent to the North Shore Resilience project, which received Environment and Climate Change Canada grant monies. This project is funded wholly through the Long Point Region Biosphere and has the ability to expand to other areas on the Beach. 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 one or two WAC-led events will be parts of a 2026 application, along with either further dune or bioswale works. 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. RECOMMENDATION THAT Memo WAC-14/25 re 2025 Education Sessions / 2026 Blue Flag Application be received for information. MEMO WATERFRONT ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO: Waterfront Advisory Committee FROM: Thomas Thayer, CAO DATE: October 20, 2025 MEMO: WAC-15/25 SUBJECT: 2026 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 20, 2025 meeting, the WAC passed the following motion: Moved by: Committee Member Cardinal Seconded by: Committee Member Pieters THAT Memo WAC-05/25 re Waterfront Advisory Committee 2025 Meeting Schedule be received for information; AND THAT the following meeting dates be the Regular Meetings for the Waterfront Advisory Committee for 2025: • Monday, April 28, 2025 at 5:00 pm (Trackless) • Monday, July 21, 2025 at 5:00 pm (Beach, weather-dependent) • Monday, October 20, 2025 at 5:00 pm (Trackless) AND THAT the first meeting of 2026 be scheduled at the October 20, 2025 meeting. DISCUSSION The following date is proposed for the first WAC meeting in 2026: • January 19, 2026 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 2026 meeting, the WAC will discuss dates for the remaining meeting dates of the calendar year. 2026 is a municipal election year. The election is scheduled to take place on Monday, October 26, 2026. Similar to previous elections, it is likely that Bayham will establish advance polls up to 9 days before Voting Day. Based on the current schedule, the October 2026 WAC meeting would be on October 19, 2026, so, to avoid politicizing the Committee meeting, staff will be recommending that the WAC be suspended for the term after the July 2026 meeting. RECOMMENDATION THAT Memo WAC-15/25 re 2026 Committee Meeting Schedule be received for information; AND THAT the first meeting of 2026 will take place on January 19, 2026.