To the editor:
It seems the city has quietly announced its intention to drain Boulevard Lake and close the pathway over the dam around July 28, during a time when the park sees some of its highest use.
While no one can argue the damn needs maintenance and some upgrades, the timing, however, seems to be more convenient for the owner of the small generating station (that doesn’t operate in the summer), than the recreational users of the park.
The path over the dam is more than just a part of the recreational trail but constitutes a major artery for pedestrians and cyclists travelling back and forth between Current River and the rest of the city.
The wide curb that passes for a sidewalk hardly is a safe replacement for that traffic as vehicles speed by only a few inches away (perhaps the adjoining lane of traffic could be closed while the maintenance takes place). Also, should the city go ahead with this work either at the time announced or perhaps in the fall when recreational use has dropped off, have any plans been made to clean out the lake before it turns into marshland? You can nearly walk across it as the silt has filled it in so badly, although you may get hung up on all the debris on the bottom.
One can't help but wonder if the neglect of Boulevard over the years and the closing of the dam at the height of normal recreational use isn’t part of city management’s plan to maximize the use of the park by using the drop off in numbers to justify increased residential development around the lake and on the green space behind the LPH (something we know they want to do). I don’t expect anyone from the Fifth Estate to ask any hard questions as they seem determined to perfect the art of press release journalism but as a concerned citizen I will.
Will the council commit to any of the following for the park and ultimately the LPH grounds:
l Move the date for the work on the dam to September so that Thunder Bay residents can enjoy the lake for the summer?
l Ensure that as part of the work that the silt and debris are cleaned out from the bottom of the lake?
l Incorporate the green space north of the LPH into the park?
l Eventually develop the LPH grounds proper with low cost housing (not low income but something akin to what many call wartime homes, simple two-bedroom bungalows on smaller lots)?
I await your replies with interest but very little hope.
John Brewer,
Thunder Bay
