Kingston waterfront news: August 2007
The CFB KINGSTON DOLPHIN SCUBA CLUB is a great example of how many local organizations could better interact with their members and the public at large: by blogging.
Consider these accounts of three recent dive excursions, all posted yesterday.
Makes you want to do a lot more diving, doesn't it?
Consider too the cost of all this: zero dollars, just three paragraphs in total.
NOT SINCE APRIL 19th have we seen this:
CITY PURCHASES LAND adjacent to Grass Creek Park.
That's good, but the announcement is prefixed with:
...in accordance with municipal policies for developing and sustaining public access to the City's waterfront.
... which is baloney, also here, citing two much closer and pertinent counterexamples from just last week alone.
Also, looking at the photo, there's really not much new waterfront there. So the whole waterfront angle to this story appears a little overblown.
Update: A report from the August 24th edition of the Whig Standard, which leads with:
Kingston has taken one more step toward securing the public use of its waterfront by purchasing 45 acres of riverside property on the city's far east side.
FINALLY WE HAVE AN ONLINE BEACH REPORT.
It's on the City of Kingston website, under "Residents", then "Recreation". At the moment apparently two beaches, Lake Ontario Park and Rotary Park, are posted.
The information is not date-stamped, so you'll have no idea of information freshness. Let's hope this isn't another web page the city has no time to maintain.
CORK BLOGGING: Here are links to competitors, volunteers, and spectators blogging about CORK. This beats the Kingston Whig Standard, which has had almost zero coverage so far, and the CORK website, which has a "News" link with no recent news to be found there.
- Andrew Campbell, who recently won a gold medal for the USA in the Laser class at the Pan-Am Games: Monday Morning Tactician: 13 August 2007 about the importance of long-view weather checking before a competition like CORK.
- John Pearce, a US Olympic sailing hopeful (he placed 4th at US Laser Nationals), posted an item titled Training Camp in Kingston on Wednesday.
- Jenny, a CORK volunteer, posted an item titled CORK Sailing yesterday. It sounds like Jenny would love to do more actual sailing. Reading downward, she also volunteered for the Kingston Triathlon. Jenny's evidently a giver.
- Monika's Adventures has an August 11th post titled CORK, Canadian Olympic Regatta Kingston. Monica also had a recent post titled International Sailing in Kingston about volunteering for the ISAF Youth World Championships in July.
THE LACK OF SHORELINE FISHING SPOTS is the subject of an interesting front-page story in today's Whig. It highlights a big problem with the waterfront in the City of Kingston: accessibility.
We've got:
- town docks we can't walk,
- birds-only breakwalls,
- several ramps with little or no parking for trailers,
- apparently numbskulls are in charge at Fort Henry and,
- according to the article, angler-hostile desk-flying bureaucrats at all levels.
THIS IS RIDICULOUS! Time for a management shakeup at Fort Henry?
Fort Henry officials are cracking down on pedestrian traffic on the perimeter of the property, which has become a popular spot for dog-walkers and picnickers.
Two new topics are now prominently linked on the home page:
THE HIGHWAY TRAVELLER'S HOME PAGE seeks to brief Highway 401 travelers, who might otherwise bypass Kingston, about economical and time-efficient options involving Kingston's waterfront.
THE RESIDENT'S HOME PAGE seeks to brief most Kingston residents who, on balance, don't participate in their waterfront as much as they could.
Like all topics here, these topics are subject to incremental improvement, so suggestions and contributions are welcome.
THE SHARK NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS is a 35-boat competition.
Update: Winners are David O'Sullivan, David Foy, and Jamie Foy of Ottawa's Britannia Yacht Club. Top Kingston boat is Peter VanRossem, Gord Greer, and Peter VanRossem Jr in fourth position. Results here.
A UNESCO VIBE at tonight's Sunset Ceremony at Fort Henry, from The Toronto Star.