An update for all SCOI members
We have had a number of cottage owners asking about the Band’s intentions this year with regard to banning cars from the Main Beach. SCOI was invited to meet with the Chief and Council on Monday May 13 to discuss a number of issues of common interest. The meeting with Chief and Council had to be cancelled because a Superior Court hearing related to the Saugeen Ojibway Nation Bruce County public lands land claim was set for 4 days last week including the 13th. The Chief then kindly agreed to meet with the SCOI Board this past Sunday morning (19th). Sadly, Herman Roote passed away late Saturday and the Chief was unable to attend our Board meeting. Given everyone’s busy schedules we are now trying to reschedule the meeting for the week of June 3rd.
Many of you will know Herman Roote and his wife Pat from your dealings with the Leasing Office. Herman was a highly regarded elder, Band Council member, former Band administrator and long time manager of the Band’s Land Management and Leasing Department. Herman was always firm but fair, respectful and attentive to cottagers’ needs. He was funny and always had a twinkle in his eye. He was our dear friend. He will be sorely missed.
SCOI has a number of issues it wishes to discuss with the Chief and foremost among those are the things relating to the Band’s plan to ban cars from the beach beginning this year. We wish to better understand what the plan is for parking for visitors wishing to spend a day at the beach. Where can they park legally? How will people be transported to the beach? Will they be ticketed/towed if they park in no parking zones? Will there be sufficient no parking signage as well as by-law officers to patrol and enforce the parking by-laws? We are also interested in security and enforcement of other rules on the beach want to ensure adequate garbage containers, toilet facilities and EMS access.
Although it was the Band’s plan to ban cars from the beach over time, the high water levels this year mean that this is not something that can be phased in over a couple of summers. But we suspect that to smoothly make the transition in one year is also not very realistic and suspect that there may be times when things seem to have come off the rails. Our hope is that we are able to get as much helpful information for you before the busy season gets underway, so you have an informed idea of what the Band is hoping to accomplish this year. We want you to know who to call if there are problems like cars illegally parked or poor behaviour on the Beach or any other misdemeanor. Many have said, this is an excellent move… an outcome they have been wanting for some time.
Your understanding, tolerance and support will be extremely important in helping the band achieve its goal of creating a sustainable and enjoyable experience for everyone who loves this place.
If we are successful in arranging a meeting with the Chief in early June, we will report back to you with what we have learned as soon as we can via a post on the SCOI website. Stay tuned.
Yes, there will hardly be a cottage owner that had not met Herman at one time or another. He will indeed be missed. Thanks for the update on the beach closing and the reminder for all of us to be patient this summer is timely.
Dear SCOI
I was so sorry to hear of the passing of Herman Roote !
Many of us had dealings both positive and sometimes otherwise with him but Herman was always fair.
Does SCOI plan to send a memorial of some sort to Herman’s family on his passing
As a past president of SCOI, I believe that we should do something.
Regards
Mel Parisi
Mel,
Thank you very much for your comments about Herman Roote’s death. SCOI has sent a donation to Chapman House in Herman’s memory. A number of SCOI directors and other cottage owners attended the visitations and the funeral out of respect for Herman and to support Pat, the family and his many friends.
So sad to hear of Herman’s passing. All of our encounters with him were positive and often very entertaining. Several years ago he appeared to be doing some preliminary surveying behind our lot. We wandered up to ask what he was up to. He said, with a big twinkle in his eye, “Oh I’m just plotting the road to the new casino.”
We will miss him.
Herman was a very nice man who years ago regularly walked the boardwalk in Southampton with my late husband Bob in the mornings. He will be dearly missed by his family.
So sorry to hear of Herman’s passing. Our dealings with him were always positive. We enjoyed his sense of humour as well as his photography skills in capturing nature. Sincere condolences to the family.
I am so sorry to hear of Herman Roote passing. He was always a outstanding ambassador. We are one of the beach access cottages. I assume we simply use our passes as usual. Hopefully the renters along the beach will understand and leave room to drive . We have in the past been yelled at and cursed for driving down to our cottage. At one particular spot near Pickwick trenches were dug to stop our car from making to our destination.. it would be a suggestion for cottage owners who rent to advise their clients that there are a dozen or so cottages who need to drive to their cottages. Thanks .
SCOI hopes to be meeting with the Chief late next week and access for cottage owners with beach-only access is on our list of issues. At this point we are assuming the same arrangement as last year where the beach is closed to all but Band members and beach-only access cottagers.
We will post clarification of what to expect this summer as soon as we know.
If you are being confronted for driving on the beach to get to your cottage, call Band security at 519-379-4760. If possible you may also want to make note of which cottages the people are from. If the people giving you trouble are renters, I’m sure the Band would be interested to know since renting is forbidden in the lease. This might be an incentive for cottage owners along that stretch to make sure those “using” their cottage understand your situation.
Thank you for your support.. hopefully there will be no issues as in the past.
Any update on the car ban? Were you able to have the meeting with the chief? We’re sitting here now on the dune side and there is only an extremely narrow band of sand on the lake side of the road. Im wondering what date the ban will take effect.
SCOI executive members met with the Chief on Friday (June 7th, 2019).
The Chief indicated that vehicles will be banned from the beach with the exception of those that belong to Band members, cottagers who have beach-only access to their cottages as well as security and emergency vehicles.
The entrance to the Beach at Main Street will be completely blocked off. There will be no vehicular access to the Beach from Main Street. At the Silver Lake Road (16th Street) and French Bay Road access points the Band is considering placing large cement lane dividers in such a way as to create a single lane that is configured in an “s” shape with signage that indicates access is only for cottage owners and Band members. At this time there is no plan to have staff specifically assigned to these access points.
CanCom (519-379-4760) will once again be patrolling the beaches as well as the rest of the Saugeen First Nation lands. Currently they begin at 8:30am and are on duty until 2am. In another 2 weeks they will be patrolling 24/7.
At anytime you think there is a vehicle on the beach that is not entitled to be there or one that is driving dangerously, you should call CanComm and indicate the location and give a description of the vehicle.
The Band is still working on its options re: parking and transportation to the beach for day visitors. When these plans have been firmed up we will once again post the information on the SCOI website. Please be sure to subscribe to updates (top right on the home page).
So much garbage was left on the beach this past weekend it’s still there! With no trash cans or out houses where do you think people were defacating! Again I saw them using my neighbours’ bushes! Just disgusting!