A floating inflatable water park is one step closer to being set up at Colchester Beach, but not without a close vote and a lengthy discussion.
Essex Council met Monday evening, where one report looked at entering into a lease agreement with Aqua City for a term of one year.
Council went back and forth on whether or not the water park would be a good fit for the Essex area, voting 4-3 in favour of the report after councillor Katie McGuire-Blais put the motion forward to approve it.
Many of the councillors were concerned with the small amount of parking that is already offered at the beach, safety concerns as Lake Erie can get very wavy, as well as concerns with the amount of people on the beach, the cost to use the park, and a shortage of lifeguards.
Despite the worries, other councillors spoke out about how the Town needs an entertainment amenity such as the park, as well as receiving very positive feedback from the community on the possibility of the water park.
During the meeting, administration said that they are looking at ways to get around the parking situation by looking into possibly offering a shuttlebus service.
Administration also stated the park would be safely anchored and is meant to withstand intense waves, staff at Colchester would be able to hand the increase in people in terms of garbage and washroom cleaning, and that the cost to go on the park is comparable to other similar amenities in the surrounding area.
Colin Pyne, Youth Council Member, says it comes down to the fact that change is inevitable, but growth is optional.
"If we want to keep growing I think we have to act now. If we wait, this is a great idea, another beach can get it and by the time we decide to implement something like this we've already missed it. We really need something like this to attract people to Colchester Beach because it is a great beach, and people would be more willing to go to a beach if it had awesome amenities."
Katie McGuire-Blais, councillor for Essex, says this is a great opportunity for the Town.
"We can do one of two things, we can either stay where we are and stay small and not add tourist attractions, or we can continue to grow and develop and add to bring people to Essex, which is external revenues for our small businesses. I think that this is a great opportunity for Essex, I don't know why we would say no."
Councillor Jason Matyi says this could create revenue to help build on the waterfront.
"When we speak about making the marina wider, building it up with condos and re-establishing the waterfront, and we're afraid to put in a water park. To me, that doesn't make any sense at all. This is real minimum risk on the Town's part, it's real low investment, we have the ability to maybe generate revenue to fix a problem in that area."
The park is approximately 100 by 100 feet and buoys would be placed around the perimeter of the water park area. April 17, 2023 (Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Town of Essex)
Mayor Sherry Bondy says there wasn't enough notice to get everything in order for the park to open this summer.
"I'm hearing that the lee time could be two to three months, so I almost feel we should've had this conversation in the fall, to be in place for say May 1, or whatever that looks like. I feel like the plan is not really going to fold out as we would hope to be successful for the first season."
Mayor Sherry Bondy, councillor Rodney Hammond, and councillor Kim Verbeek were opposed to the motion. Councillor Katie McGuire-Blais, councillor Jason Matyi, councillor Brad Allard, and councillor Joe Garon voted in favour of the motion. Deputy Mayor Rob Shepley was unable to vote due to a conflict of interest.
The report will come back to council in two weeks for final approval as a by law would have to be changed to accomodate the park.
If approved, all participants would be required to wear life jackets, regardless of age and size, and no children under five years of age would be permitted.
The floating inflatable water park would be far enough from the shoreline that it would not impact those swimming at the beach.
The park is approximately 100 by 100 feet and buoys would be placed around the perimeter of the water park area, for a 10 per cent cut of overall sales for the first year of operation.