Beachgoers, rejoice! Deal in place to reopen Port Dover beach

All signs point to the Port Dover beach being open for Canada Day.

Norfolk County has struck a tentative lease agreement with the owners of the largely private beach to remove the no trespassing" signs that went up in late April and allow visitors to use the beach again - provided they behave themselves.

The lease agreement, which was approved by council on Tuesday and must still be signed by the property owners, will run for four years and includes options to extend, Norfolk County chief administrative officer Al Meneses told reporters.

It's very much in draft form, but we've got an agreement in principle," he said. So we're expecting that as of the long weekend in July that everything will be up and running for the balance of the season, and then three more summers after that."

Details are still under wraps pending ratification, but Meneses said the lease and an accompanying bylaw address landowners' concerns about liability while promoting responsible enjoyment and use" of the beach.

According to the bylaw, the beach is to be open from dawn until dusk.

The bylaw includes $75 fines for littering on the beach, lighting bonfires or using a barbecue, drinking alcohol or smoking, using glass bottles, and bringing pets other than service animals onto the sand.

Putting up tents or using oversized umbrellas is also punishable by fine, as is defecating or urinating" on the beach and being disorderly or using abusive language.

A key point of the agreement is stepped-up enforcement of the bylaw. Meneses said county bylaw officers will patrol the beach on weekdays and weekends, including holidays.

And we've got the OPP that is also going to be able to chip in and curb some of the behaviours that we don't want on the beach," he said.

Port Dover-area councillor Adam Veri said the landowners - including Buck's cottage park and F.W. Knechtel Foods Ltd., which runs several beachside restaurants - relented on their demand for controlled entry points after they were convinced of the county's willingness to heavily enforce the bylaw and keep the beach free of disruptive behaviour.

The enforcement is going to be real. There's no doubt about that," Veri said.

He hopes the need for proactive enforcement will decline over time as beachgoers get the message.

The county and landowners will have joint liability" over managing the beach, Meneses noted, adding county staff will take a more proactive approach" to keeping the beach tidy and clean.

I'm happy that we worked together so well with the community to get this done. It's an important issue," Veri said.

This is a good first big thing that we tackled (as a council) that shows we can get stuff done if we do it right."

All parties wanted to have the beach open in a way that made sense, Meneses added.

I would say from Day 1 there was a desire to get to an agreement," he said.

They were very forthcoming in terms of what they wanted. We heard them (and) we arrived at an amicable solution ... that was positive for both parties."

As for when the beach will reopen, Veri said ultimately the owners have the final say," but Meneses expected to have new signage detailing the prohibited activities posted in time for the Canada Day weekend.

J.P. Antonacci's reporting on Haldimand and Norfolk is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. jpantonacci@thespec.com