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Sand Point Beach new fencing extends into river after latest 2 drownings · Kvetch & Release

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  I was actually out this weekend driving along Riverside Drive, and I noticed that
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  there was a big fence that had been set up at Sandpoint Beach, extending
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  eastward from the very end of the city property and extending as well what looked
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  like to be going into the river. This coming on the heels of,
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  of course, that tragedy of which we found out just recently of the bodies
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  of two men who entered the water from nearby private property were recovered after having
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  passed away in the water. Joining me right now to discuss this change Sandpoint
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  Beach and what we can expect to see in the future with it, because
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  we know that there will be approved relocation, is Ward seven Councilor Angelo Marinani,
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  who joins me right now. How you doing, Counselor. I'm doing
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  well, John, and yourself doing well. Thank you for joining me here.
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  Obviously tragic news. This is a you know, just another couple deaths
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  in a long string of them that we have seen at this beach over quite
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  a number of years. And if we could just set the stage back a
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  little bit, I know that this is something that you have run on a
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  number of times before, you know, being elected and now you're in this
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  position and we know that that vote was approved to relocate it. Why has
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  Standpoint Beach been such a focal point for you? Just because it is one
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  of the one of the waterfront parks that has been neglected over time, and
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  it is probably one of the most in my opinion, one of the most
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  beautiful parks. It is the centerpiece of the Great Lakes, and going there,
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  it's just you get the sense of what Canada is all about. The
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  Great Lakes Peschile to the left. It's just a wonderful spot and it just
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  needs to be taken care of absolutely. And so I would say that these
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  are pretty common sense measures to put these taller fencing in right now and more
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  running signs. Having just dealt with these two people, who, of course
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  drowned, do you think that this is going to be enough though? It
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  looks like the fence is going into the water. Is that correct? That
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  is correct, Yes, the fence is going into the water. I also
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  sit on the Windsor Health Unit and we discussed it there. As far as
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  water safety is concerned, they're involved with bacterial counts and that sort of thing,
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  as well as orientation week for the University and Saint Clair College students.
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  So we're now going to be incorporating some water safety educational components with that orientation
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  week with our new students. So we're just looking at every way possible to
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  improve the safety of that beach using whatever, you know, whatever organization that
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  can help us to do. So, yeah, you know, I mean,
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  it's been eight people who have drowned in the water at that beach going
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  back to nineteen eighty, so you know, it's not a huge number in
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  terms of the duration of the time period over forty plus years. However,
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  it is still eight people that have drowned on city property there in one form
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  or another. So this relocation is going to be occurring, moving it from
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  the west side further east. How is that going to work. Well,
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  we have a detailed engineering report coming back that will will detail all the components
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  of that change. We're expecting that to come back early next year. And
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  what I'm trying to do is move moneys forward. We have about one million,
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  five hundred thousand for the twenty twenty nine twenty thirty budget, move that
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  forward to twenty five and then actually get some additional funds or whatever is necessary
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  to do the first phase of the safety improvement, and that would be moving
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  the beach or putting a brake wall with a fishing pier on the western side.
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  So it's it's it's getting council to agree with those monies, it's getting
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  the mayor to agree with those monies and to act on it as soon as
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  possible, making safety priority first and foremost. Moving those funds up makes a
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  lot of sense to me, especially if the beach is going to be remaining
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  open and you know, is still a liability there lots planned to it with
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  the new playground, splash pad, covered pavilion. Do you think there's the
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  possibility, Like, what do you think the appetite is like around the table
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  if you were to request moving funds up. I think the appetite is there,
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  But also we have to bring up other points. For example, we
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  have increasing heat in our summer, and if you go to Sandpoint Beach you
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  get those wonderful cool breezes off Lake Saint Clair. So a lot of people
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  who don't have swimming pools or air conditioners will go to the beach and just
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  enjoy that sort of cool breeze. So it's also for the betterment of our
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  community as city wide to have this improvement done simply because more people will be
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  going to the beach as the summers do get hotter. To have that sort
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  of amenity, safe amenity, I think is an improvement for everyone in our
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  city. You know what, It's just, it's simply just the gem Sandpoint
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  Beach. We are so lucky to have it. It is a beautiful,
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  beautiful park, waterfront park, and we just need to improve it. And
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  it's very heavily used, is it not, Yes, it is. I
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  mean I've been I go there pretty much every day for my walk or just
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  drive by it, and there's always people enjoying it. And I love seeing
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  that. I love seeing you know, families there having their picnics, or
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  young couples walking around enjoying you know, the scenic view, or people fishing,
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  and you know, it's really just it's a gem. There's people there
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  now. It is a park. So the boys are out the safety areas.
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  Lifeguards will be coming in a couple of weeks and we are going to
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  be increasing our auxiliary police so that they are in the area just to make
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  sure that everyone is having a good and safe time. And so what is
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  it that people need to know when they start heading to the beach for this
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  summer season and they're going to be jumping in again from the city's perspective,
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  what area they need to avoid. It's the western side of the beach,
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  So anything between the Monarch Building, which is that beautiful historical building on the
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  western side, to the washroom area. Now there's an area in there that's
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  kind of close. Keep in mind to the people who passed away in that
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  area that's not on the beach property. It's next to. But you get
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  strong currents that can pull you into that area. So please please stay within
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  the assigned areas, the safe areas. Please do not go swimming alone,
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  or go in the water alone. Do not go in the water if there's
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  a red flag. There's certain rules that needs to follow, and we're making
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  sure that everyone knows these rules and and that they're safe first and foremost of
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  most of all, absolutely, well, Hey counselor, I want to thank
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  you so much for your time today. Obviously a very important topic with the
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  latest news about it, and I'm with you. I hope we can get
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  that money moved up sooner than later, because as the climate keeps changing and
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  we keep hearing people being told, you know, go outside to get some
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  cool if you can't stay inside with air conditioning and go to the beach,
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  try to get some water on you. We're going to be seeing more and
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  more people there, so it's an important topic. You know. Windsor is
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  all about our waterfronts and this is one of our waterfront gems that we just
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  need to improve upon, and it's my job to make sure we do so.
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  Absolutely. Ward seven, Counselor Angelo MARINIANI thank you so much for your
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  time. No, thank you, John, and have a great day you
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  as well. What do you think about that one? Folks with Sandpoint Beach
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  again, you know the numbers, as I said, eight people have drowned
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  there going back as far as in nineteen eighty, most recently with these two
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  international students who drowned passing away unfortunately, a twenty five year old and a
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  twenty two year old, a Yogish badj guy and row hit deer