__ CKWS 20080723

Richardson Beach

July 23, 2008

AN UNUSUAL SITE ALONG KINGSTON'S WATERFRONT LAST NIGHT.

HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WADED INTO THE LAKE AT RICHARDSON BEACH -- TO MAKE A POINT. FIX IT UP, AND WE'LL USE IT. NEWSWATCH'S DARRYN DAVIS HAS MORE.

AND THE MASS WADE INTO LAKE ONTARIO WAS OFF.

SEVERAL HUNDRED PEOPLE SHOWED THEIR SUPPORT FOR THE CALL TO IMPROVE RICHARDSON BEACH. SOMETHING ORGANIZERS OF THE SWIM ARE THRILLED ABOUT. THEY HOPE TO SEE THE BEACH RETURNED TO ITS' FORMER GLORY.

JAMIE LINTON
"FOR THIS FACILITY TO BE FIXED SO THAT PEOPLE CAN USE THE WATER, USE THE CHANGE ROOM SAFELY, COMFORTABLY, THAT'S BASICALLY WHAT I'D LIKE TO SEE NOTHING MORE FANCY A GOOD PUBLIC PLACE TO SWIM FOR KINGSTONIANS."

REGINOLD MARSH AND HIS WIFE MARIE REMEMBER WHEN THE BEACH WAS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE COMMUNITY. EIGHTY EIGHT NOW, REGINOLD USED TO SWIM HERE WHEN HE WAS NINE, SEVENTY NINE YEARS AGO.

REGINOLD AND MARIE
"HUNDREDS OF THEM HERE AND THEY'D BE LAYING ALL OVER THE PLACE, WE HAD OUR LUNCHES HERE AND YOU WENT SWIMMING HERE EVERY AFTERNOON WHENEVER THE WEATHER WAS NICE AND WARM AND WE USED TO LOOK ACROSS AND SEE ALL THE BOATS GOING BY."

AND IT LOOKS LIKE KINGSTONIANS WILL GET THEIR WISH FOR IMPROVEMENTS. THE CITY SET UP TENTS TO SHOW THE PLANS THEY HAVE IN THE WORKS FOR THE AREA.

ED SMITH
"STAFF HAVE COME BACK WITH THE PLANS WE'RE PRESENTING HERE TODAY. THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE TOO MUCH OPPOSITION AND WE'LL GET SOME PUBLIC INPUT AND THEY'LL GIVE US SOME IDEAS TO IMPROVE THE PLANS AND WE'LL MOVE FORWARD ON THEM."

AND THE IMPROVEMENTS MAY BEGIN AS EARLY AS THIS FALL, ONCE CITY STAFF WORK THROUGH ALL THE NECESSARY GOVERNMENT APPROVALS.

MARK FLUHRER
"IT'S NORMAL WE GO THROUGH IT ALL THE TIME, IT DOES TAKE TIME WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH A NUMBER OF LEVELS. THE CATARAQUI CONSERVATION AUTHORITY, MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES, FISHERIES AND OCEANS AND THEN TRANSPORT CANADA. SO WE'RE ALMOST ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE PROCESS."

WHICH MEANS THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE RICHARDSON BEACH WON'T END UP GOING TO THE DOGS.

DARRYN DAVIS CKWS NEWSWATCH KINGSTON.

THE CITY HAS BUDGETED 65-THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR THE SHORELINE, AND IN-WATER IMPROVEMENTS.