It is Monday morning Feb 17th, Family Day, as I start to write this message looking
out the window of our cottage with the sun glistening on the ice mounds on the shore
line and only seeing water on the far horizon. A tremendous amount of snow has
melted over the last two weeks and you can actually see grass in some places. It has
been reported that the water level is already up considerably and with the amount
of snow yet to melt hopefully will be up even more.
Here is a brief description of our executive meeting discussion. In November, Barry
McPherson and myself along with the Pt Clark and Lurgen Beach presidents met
with the mayor Mitch Twolan and the administrator Mary Rose Walden to discuss
many items. A major focus was lake water quality and the beach conditions. The
algae clean up program resulted in 120 truck loads being removed from the beaches
mainly in Point Clark and at Lurgen. The Saugeen Valley Conservation authority
plans to plant 40,000 trees in the Pine River watershed area this year to improve
water quality from the farm runoffs. With regard to taxes, they indicated that the
new assessments would increase approximately eight percent this year, and they
were hopeful that the mill rate would remain the same. We will see. Finally, we
should continue to support the Pine River Watershed Network as it continues to seek
funds to reduce phosphate and nitrogen content in the runoffs into Pine River and
the lake.
The executive examined the winter patrol and were of the opinion that after this year
it should be discontinued. Many cottages have been winterized over the last few
years and many are used all year round. The patrol does not meet most insurance
requirements for cottages. It is our suggestion that each cottage should make their
own arrangements. This issue will be brought to the annual general meeting in the
summer.
McCosh Grove and the Bruce Beach Golf Association are planning on renovating
the club house and doing some improvements to the golf course. They are in the
process of developing guidelines for the use of the club house. Once guidelines are
set, there will be several fund raising activities to which all Bruce Beachers will be
invited to participate.
I would like to thank the following for all their efforts on our behalf: Sally Treidlinger
for being our secretary for the last several years; Barry McPherson who as president
for the last two years took this job to a new level creating close relationships with
our other beach associations and with the Huron Kinloss Township council and
administration; Ross Klopp for his tremendous work as communications coordinator;
Peter Newson for all his work putting the year book together. Janice Gibson
continues as treasurer, and we welcome Susan Davidson as our new secretary.
See you on the beach.
Keith MacDonald