CHRISTMAS IN GRAVENHURST -

AMPHITHEATRE IS NOT THE BEST INVESTMENT FOR CONCERTS ON THE BARGE - IT'S NOT THE BEST INVESTMENT FOR THE USERS OF OUR TOWN PARK

IF WE HAD A "DO-OVER", FOR THE RE-VAMPED RECREATION CENTRE, MIGHT WE TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT THE DESIGN OF THE NEW AUDITORIUM…..THE ONE THAT WAS BUILT TOO SMALL TO HANDLE RAIN-OUTS FOR SUNDAY EVENING BARGE CONCERTS? CONSIDERING, OF COURSE, THE FORMER TERRY FOX AUDITORIUM HANDLED RAIN-OUTS FOR A LOT OF YEARS. WHILE THE SPACE COULDN'T ACCOMMODATE EVERYONE……IT WORKED WELL ENOUGH IN A PINCH, TO KEEP MOST CONCERT-GOERS RELATIVELY PLEASED……RECOGNIZING OF COURSE, ANYBODY WHO MISSES OUT WILL FEEL UNFAIRLY TREATED.

WHEN THE TOWN HAD AN OPPORTUNITY HERE, TO BUILD AN AUDITORIUM WITH MR. SCHULZ'S HUGELY SUCCESSFUL CONCERTS IN MIND, THEY DIDN'T EVEN THINK IT WORTHY TO ASK HIS ADVICE ON HOW TO HANDLE THE EXPECTED AUDIENCES. HE SHOULD HAVE HAD PENCIL IN HAND, STARING OVER THOSE BLUE-PRINTS WITH ALL THE OTHER FOLK INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS, BECAUSE AS FRED KNOWS, HE COULD, ONE WHACKY-WEATHER-SUMMER, HAVE A COMPLETE RAIN-OUT SEASON……THE GREAT RISK OF OUTDOOR VENUES ANYWHERE. INSTEAD, BECAUSE OF THIS GREAT RUSH (TO SINK THE SHOVEL IN) THAT WE'VE READ ABOUT IN THE PRESS (MOST RECENTLY IN THE TORONTO STAR), AND THE PROBLEMS THE HURRY-UP PROGRAM HAS CAUSED IN COST OVER-RUNS, WE HAVE AN AUDITORIUM THAT ISN'T SUITABLE FOR CONCERTS. IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO GET LARGE EQUIPMENT UP TO THE HALL, AND WOULD CERTAINLY NOT LEND ITSELF TO A GOOD BROTHERS PERFORMANCE……STAGING-WISE, AND AUDIENCE ACCOMMODATION. BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THIS REALITY. WHAT FRED HAD BEEN ABLE TO COUNT ON FOR YEARS, WITH THE TERRY FOX ROOM, WAS TAKEN AWAY WITHOUT ANYONE THINKING, FOR MORE THAN A FLEETING MOMENT, ABOUT ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT USERS OF THE HALL.

WHEN YOU HEAR AND READ NOW ABOUT THE "SHOVEL READY" PLANNING FOR THE PROPOSED NEW AMPHITHEATRE AT GULL LAKE PARK, IT'S HARD NOT TO THINK BACK TO THE FOLLY OF THE RECENT PAST, WHERE WE DIDN'T HAVE ALL THE FACTS STRAIGHT BEFORE WE STARTED THE MULTI-MULTI MILLION DOLLAR RENOVATION. THE NEW TOWN HALL SEEMED A GOOD IDEA AT THE TIME. A ROOF PROBLEM? NOW ON THE INITIATIVE OF "THE FEW", WE HAVE THIS PROPOSAL BEFORE US (ONLY WHAT WE READ), TO BUILD AN AMPHITHEATRE ON THE SHORE OF GULL LAKE PARK, TO PROVIDE BETTER SEATING FOR BARGE CONCERTS. A FEW GRAND THINKERS BELIEVE THIS IS THE WAY TO MAKE CONCERT-GOERS LIKE THE BARGE CONCERTS BETTER. FROM SOMEONE WHO ACTUALLY ATTENDS THE WEEKLY EVENTS, HAPPILY PERCHED ON THE EMBANKMENT ABOVE THE BARGE, THE CONCRETE BUNKER ISN'T GOING TO ADD TO THE VIEWING PLEASURE ANY MORE THAN SOME ADDITIONAL PARK BENCHES AND CREATIVE ENTERPRISE. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT GROUP IS PLAYING ON THAT STAGE, ACCEPT MAYBE U2, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO REQUIRE AN AMPHITHEATRE TO AFFORD COMFORT-ZONE VISIBILITY. THERE ARE MANY CHEAPER, LESS PARK-ALTERING IMPROVEMENTS THAT CAN BE MADE TO IMPROVE VISIBILITY, WITHOUT EXCAVATING THE HILLSIDE. WHAT SHOULD BE ON THE HILL ARE SMALL SHRUBS AND REPLACEMENT TREES, TO REPLACE THE ONES DAMAGED BY THE RECENT TORNADO. I THINK IT WOULD BE IN THE SPIRIT OF MUSKOKA, AND THIS BEAUTIFUL LITTLE PARK, TO HAVE VEGETATION HOLDING THE BANK IN PLACE, VERSUS A CONCRETE AMPHITHEATRE.

A FEW MONTHS AGO IT WAS A MISSION OF CONCERT-GOERS TO "SAVE THE BARGE." SOMEHOW THAT HAS BECOME MORE ROUTINE MAINTENANCE, (AS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN FOR THE PAST DECADE, BUT WASN'T) THAN THE CENTRAL ISSUE OF IMPROVEMENT. OUT OF NOWHERE…..AND I MEAN NOWHERE SENSIBLE, COMES THIS BEATING DRUM FOR AN AMPHITHEATRE, WHICH APPARENTLY IS MORE SIGNIFICANT THAN ANYTHING ELSE…..SUCH THAT WE WILL ONCE AGAIN HAVE A "HURRY-UP" PROGRAM, TO WHACK OUT SOME IDEAS, WORSHIP THEM AS THE SAVING GRACE OF GULL LAKE AND CONCERTS ON THE BARGE, AND SHINE UP THE SAME CEREMONIAL SHOVEL USED ON THE REC. CENTRE; ALL IN THE EVENT WE CAN SUCK SOME MORE GRANT MONEY, OUT OF FEDERAL OR PROVINCIAL COFFERS, TO BUILD A TOWN "FASCINATOR." WHY NOT A MONORAIL? I HEAR SHELBYVILLE'S GETTING ONE!!!!! (COURTESY THE SIMPSONS).

GULL LAKE PARK HAS BEEN ACCOMMODATING CONCERTS FOR MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY, WITHOUT THE NEED FOR AN AMPHITHEATRE. AND IT CAN ACCOMMODATE MANY MORE CONCERTS, AND BIGGER ONES, WITH THE RESOURCES WE HAVE, AND CAN ACQUIRE AFFORDABLY WITHOUT EXCAVATING AN INCH OF THE PEOPLE'S PARK. AND IT TRULY IS A CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TOWN PARK, JUST LIKE JUBILEE PARK WAS, TO THE RESIDENTS OF BRACEBRIDGE. WHEN TOWN HALL STARTS SCREWING ABOUT WITH OUR RESOURCES, NOT BY EXPERIENCE, BUT BY "WOULDN'T THIS BE A NEAT IDEA," THEN WE ALL HAVE TO SIT UP……AND LET OUR CONCERNS BE KNOWN BEFORE THAT CEREMONIAL SHOVEL GETS ITS FIRST DIG INTO THE GULL LAKE SHORELINE.

GULL LAKE PARK IS AN IMPORTANT RESOURCE FOR THE TOWNSFOLK FIRST OF ALL. NO MATTER HOW WONDERFUL THE NEW POOL IS, THERE WILL BE CITIZENS WHO PREFER TO SWIM IN THE LAKE. THEY WILL PREFER TO DO THIS FOR A NUMBER OF PERSONAL REASONS, AND THIS MUST BE RESPECTED BY TOWN COUNCIL…..WHO MAY HAVE BELIEVED THE ONLY PEOPLE TO SWIM THERE, FOLLOWING THE POOL'S OPENING, WOULD BE OUR VISITORS, ENJOYING DAY TRIPS……, FAMILIAR WITH CONCRETE INTRUSIONS, SUCH THAT THEY WON'T BE TERRIBLY SHOCKED AT THE SIGHT OF AN URBAN-INSPIRED AMPHITEATRE. THIS WILL NOT BE THE CASE. AND GULL LAKE PARK WILL CONTINUE TO BE OUR CITIZENS' LITTLE SLICE OF PARADISE. IT SHOULD BE, AS IT HAS BEEN FOR DECADES. SO THE PUBLIC MUST BE CONSULTED ABOUT CARVING AWAY THE EMBANKMENT TO INSTALL AN AMPHITHEATRE……REAL CLOSE TO THE PUBLIC BEACH. I DON'T LIKE TOWN DRIVEN PROJECTS LIKE THIS, THAT APPEAR DESTINED FOR COUNCIL APPROVAL, BEFORE THE PUBLIC HAS A WHACK AT WHETHER THEY WANT IT OR NOT.

AS THE GOOD BROTHERS ENDORSE THE BARGE VENUE ON GULL LAKE, AS ONE OF THEIR FAVORITE GIGS, BECAUSE OF THE LAKESIDE QUALITIES, AND DO SO AS A MATTER OF GENERAL CONVERSATION WHILE AT OTHER INTERNATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT FACILITIES……..THAT'S ALL I NEED, TO BELIEVE WE'VE GOT A GOOD THING NOW……..WITH THE MUSKOKA THEME GOING ON…….TO RISK IT ALL ON AN AMPHITHEATRE WE DON'T NEED…….AND CAN'T AFFORD. GRANT MONEY IS TAXPAYER RAISED? ONTARIANS AND CANADIANS DON'T NEED TO FUND AN AMPHITHEATRE AT GULL LAKE PARK.

THE RATEPAYERS NEED TO REACT TO THIS PROPOSAL BEFORE IT GETS WINGS. CITIZENS GENERALLY, NEED TO LET TOWN HALL KNOW THAT BARGE REPAIRS ARE NEEDED, THE HOLE IN THE BANK, WELL, ISN'T!

I'M SURE THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF HEADLINE GRABBING INK IN THE LOCAL MEDIA. HOPEFULLY, AND I MEAN THIS, THE MEDIA WILL PROVIDE COUNTERPOINT TO BALANCE COVERAGE.