Christine Whelan, FEO March 31, 2022, VOL. 3 ISSUE 16
Advancing Crystal Beach (ACB) moves past their disappointment with the Town’s decision against their application to declare the Crystal Beach fire station a heritage status, maintaining an optimistic mindset while brainstorming and researching their options.
ACB is a community development organization with a vision for Crystal Beach to be a vibrant, healthy, safe, affordable, accessible, economically sound community by enhancing community spirit, developing opportunities for employment and working with social services to make programs accessible to the community. And they are not giving up.
“We put a presentation into the Land Committee but they wouldn’t talk with us about it. They just said no.” Orma Bleeks, President of ACB shared their experience with the designation application.
“We submitted one proposal in January. We submitted a different proposal in June and they just said no. We put a presentation into Council and they talked about it in closed session. Somebody complained about it being a closed session. That took the Ombudsman three months to settle. Once they got the decision from the Ombudsman that they didn’t do anything wrong, they still wouldn’t meet with us. The Land Committee recommended no, so Council said no.
“It’s disappointing for residents to not be heard,” Orma commented. The Town is asking ACB to bid on the open market if they want to purchase the Crystal Beach fire station for a community centre called The Village Hall.
However, Bleeks and the team are determined, not giving up hope and moving forward. They are re-grouping now and brainstorming, looking at all options and possibilities.
It’s time to get creative.
While looking at options, more short-term moves are being taken. Signs saying, “Heritage Not Condos”, are being printed, sold and displayed in demonstration of support. ACB continues to bring awareness to the community about the benefits a community centre could bring to Crystal Beach, as well as the Greater Fort Erie Area while running self-sufficiently.
“When we had the first three people ask where they could get their own signs, we decided to have 30 more made up and sell them for $20 each, with $5 going towards the plan for the activity centre. The cost is almost $15 a sign.”
ACB is calling on the community to continue to come forward, demonstrating their support. There is always power in numbers, however, there is also a common obstacle to this type of movement, “People think there’s nothing they can do. They think they have no power.”
Looking At Options
Orma and the ACB team are keeping a collective open mind and looking at all options, both connected to the fire station and at a different location.
“We have to be realistic. If the fire station is not possible, we have to come up with a different plan. We’ve looked around and there’s really nothing else available in Crystal Beach that would be any more affordable than the fire station.” She mentioned that she priced the old skating rink on Erie Road years ago and it was more than what they are looking at with the fire station now.
“We did meet with someone from the Meridian and he said that it would be a two-to-three-year process to get any money, but he couldn’t commit to anything upfront. He did comment that he really liked our budget page. He was impressed. The budget page demonstrates that fee for services will pay for it. It doesn’t come out of taxpayers’ dollars.”
The budget demonstrates that, while the projected expenses total $97,450.00 in the first year, there is a projected revenue of $125,730, with a breakdown to explain how the group came to this total, to cover the expenses.
Orma has been researching and networking. “I want to meet with a couple of business people who I’ve come across who are Crystal Beach savvy people with business backgrounds, who have managed to accumulate some real estate, and they’re women. So, I’m hoping they can give some advice on how to do this smartly.”
When looking at the option of purchasing property and putting a pre-fab on it. Orma found that it would be cheaper than getting something built.
ACB is taking steps towards being able to apply for grants. “We’ve paid a legal firm to apply for charitable status for us. We’re hoping to have it by July at the latest.” This will also help with donations as the status will allow them to give receipts to donors and sponsors.
Included in the presentation, is a breakdown of four levels of sponsorship packages; Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum.
Orma admits another option. They are hoping someone with the means and the passion for Crystal Beach would come forward. “We are looking for a hero. Someone who can buy the building for us as an investor or buy it with an arrangement with us to pay it back over a period of time.”
As far as fundraising at this time, the group is looking at organizing a garage sale and bingos, selling 50/50 tickets, as long as they can find a few volunteers to assist.
Heather Coupey, a Project Developer from Mississauga, with lots of experience working with community agencies to help them develop projects and find funding for them, is going to be on the board.
Orma added, “It was Heather’s idea to print the signs saying, Heritage Not Condos.”
Levels of Support
“We had over 400 people sign the Facebook survey saying they would attend the centre and would pay the fee. We also had many say they would be interested in volunteering.”
Advancing Crystal Beach received a letter of support this past October from Aiden Johnson, Exec Dir of Niagara Community Legal Clinic. Bleeks commented on the letter. “He was very much in favour of the Village Hall and he recognized the need for it. We sent the letter out to Bridge’s Community Health, Community Living, Fort Erie, and United Way and they all signed the same letter.”
ACB had been connected with the Fort Erie service providers for the last eight years. “The United Way gifted us a 12 x 12 greenhouse for the property of the Crystal Ridge Community Church.” Orma feels good about their connection with the United Way.
Support comes from the community, the service providers, and even the neighbours, “The man next door to the fire station said he would rather have the building be a community centre than condos.” He agreed to have one of the signs displayed on his front lawn, as well as the neighbour on the other side.
“There are four neighbours adjacent to the building who all think it’s a good idea and they all wanted a sign for their front lawns.”
“We’re not giving up. The rest of the board is also committed. Like Heather says, we just keep going. They can keep saying no, but we just keep going.”
To follow Advancing Crystal Beach, you can find them on Facebook.
“It takes a village to raise a healthy, happy community,” Advancing Crystal Beach.
