A new Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Council.

The election is over.

I did not win a seat on Council. I hope I did make a difference of some kind though. Hopefully people will continue to read various articles in this blog to get another perspective. Thanks to everyone.

What I hope to Achieve.

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

George Santayana (16 December 1863 in Madrid, Spain – 26 September 1952 in Rome, Italy) was a philosopher, essayist, poet and novelist

Wasaga Beach was scratched out of the bush and dirt by people who rolled up their sleeves, got to work and made things happen.

Somehow in the last 20 years we have lost a lot of that energy, and are more often than not, looking for a "Rainmaker" to get us going again.

We looked for a "big developer" to re-build a downtown. 

Now we are looking to a Casino to bring jobs and new visitors.

It has been my opinion  that we have all we need here, in people, talent and resources. A few years ago I created a Facebook group to encourage that ! ....

https://www.facebook.com/groups/289267904937624/?source_id=1990330817958897

Collingwood is doing a good job of this. Years back I offered my time to help mentor young business upstarts in the South Greorgian Bay area.

I tried to highlight the true leaders in our community, those that are the pioneer spirit and make a good example and inspire us:
https://www.facebook.com/The-Game-Changers-1311340038969204/

I have also tried to share ideas of how we can improve our town and many aspects of it.
https://www.facebook.com/wasagasbest/

On a green note, I have made use of grey water systems and low energy compositing toilets. http://www.separett.ca/   I was one of their very first customers.

To save energy costs, at another property I installed "Time Of Use Technology".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTizD0R2mh0

It is my belief we have what we need to make Wasaga Beach a better place to live. We just need to get creative, energized and roll up our sleeves, just like those that built this town. That is what I hope to achieve.

Have a peek.....

https://robertbortlisz.blogspot.com/2018/07/robert-bortlisz-candidate-for-wasaga.htmlhttps://robertbortlisz.blogspot.com/2018/07/robert-bortlisz-candidate-for-wasaga.html

   Statement of Principles.

Continuing in the series, From their side of the Table.

I had a chance to sit down with Frank Giannone and express my concerns about the Fram Development at the Main Beach area.

I had a number of questions, with input from many of the citizens I talked with over the last few months.

Question  #1,

Tourism is our biggest source of income for many in Wasaga Beach. People fear the Downtown Plan will take too much valuable space, limiting the amount of room for visitors in the high season. Have you considered higher builds with a smaller footprint?

The planned development of Beach 2 does not impact or infringe upon the existing use of the beachfront or the boardwalk in that location. It does affect and eliminate the current use of the shaded picnic tables on the southeast side of the boardwalk; this will push those users either further west to the Provincial Park frontage, or back to the beach under cover there. However, from a tourism point of view, the impact of the development and the added residences, should be an increase in people on Beach 2 and Beach 1. More importantly, as it relates to the use of the beach or to Beach 1 amenities, this group of people will be for the most part a pedestrian group whether they are full time residents or a tourism based user.         The other aspect to discuss is parking availability on both the Beach 2 and the Main Street properties; in both cases, parking for the added residents and shops are more than adequately included, as is parking availability for public use (though less than currently 

available).

#2, What will be the price range for the units, what is the target market for sales of the units?

As planned, at Beach 1, we are looking to offer four different product types. Based on current values, we see Condominium Apartments (elevatored) ranging in size from 750sf - 1300sf starting from $350,000 ($500/sf), Stacked Townhouses of about 1000sf starting at $400,000, Standard Townhouses of 2000sf at $550,000, and Beachfront Townhouses of 2200-2500sf starting at $1,000,000. At the Town Square on Main, we will have Live Work units starting at 2200sf (1500sf residential plus 700sf commercial storefront) starting at $550,000, and Standard Townhouses of 2000sf at $500,000.

#3, Wasaga desperately wants a High School. How will this development help attract young families, so we can get the numbers needed for a High School?

 Our experience in Port Credit and Don Mills shows that our urban villages have an impact on schools in the existing neighbourhoods, and we consider both Beach 2 and the Town Square to be parts of an urban village (a pedestrian place that brings people together in a more dense form). The impact comes from the movement of existing residents into these new residential (sometimes smaller) units, and selling and vacating their existing larger home; the existing home sale provides the opportunity for families to fill these larger homes. Additionally, a strong argument can also be made that population growth in Wasaga will breed more job opportunities and thusly more family based demand. The school population will therefore eventually be affected.

#4, StatsCan numbers show a large portion of Wasaga household income in under $38,000. How many of these units will be affordable to this population?

Without all levels of government working together with significant investments, reliefs, and subsidies, it is not possible for the highest valued land in Wasaga to serve those with income lower than $38,000. Fram has been in the business of providing a wide range of housing over its 37 years in business, from high end to affordable rental units; including a project currently underway with Toronto Community Housing.

#5, A large percentage of Wasaga residents are retired. It has been my observation over the last 5 years that a great many of them escape to warmer climates from November to March. This makes it difficult for Retail to be successful. I can not see your development being any different.How can you provide some kind of advantage to retailers looking to locate in your project?

There is no doubt that many of our future retired purchasers will have multiple residences. That is no different than we experienced in Port Credit and Collingwood. Notwithstanding that some will not be at home for parts of the year, overall, there is an increased population that must be accommodated, and will look for products and services. In the first two phases, only the Town Square has commercial opportunities, and possibly future uses along the reserved lands of Mosley frontage on Beach 2. The Town Square gives potential commercial users to OWN their store, or to lease a smaller space, in a prime location.

#6, What capital improvements to streets, water/sewer/sidewalks/lighting will Fram be paying for?
As Fram’s internal roads are all private, Fram is responsible for those costs. The public right-of-ways through the site will be paid for by Fram. The existing sewer, water, and external road infrastructure is more than adequate to accommodate the proposed developments Notwithstanding, these two phases will be paying full municipal development charges for its planned external infrastructure.
 #7. A lot of concern was expressed over environmental issues. Personally I have reservations about the excessive use of concrete and much prefer to see permeable surfaces and the use of recycled materials like rubber tires. Can you address Low impact Development? 

Fram has experience in, and is prepared to work with the Town to apply Low Impact Development (LID) standards.

I would like to thank Frank Gianonne for taking the time to listen and answer to, many of my (our) concerns. We did both agree that Tourism must remain a major player in development.
 I have different ideas on how to make that happen. We both agree that one thing will lead to another, and "action gets action". Where we see the starting point is the big question. It's the old "Chicken or Egg" dilemma. 
Do you start by building things for tourism and hope development follows? Do you think that Development will help rekindle Tourism.  Some long contemplation is needed here!

What do Visitors look For?

Anytime we look at Development we need to consider that Wasaga Beach is a "one and only" and try to insert our uniqueness into all of our new projects.

"The quest for authenticity"

"China has become the biggest source of tourism in the world, and a growing number of Chinese tourists have been setting out to experience overseas countries. These travelers are no longer satisfied with superficial tourist activities – instead, they’re searching for an in-depth understanding of their destinations. In other words, they want to experience authentic local lifestyles, customs and culture." Quote from: http://theconversation.com/why-tourists-thirst-for-authenticity-and-how-they-can-find-it-68108

 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9SVT2rVvD4

 Let's not become just like "everywhere else"!

Recplex All Candidates Meeting

opening remarks

Question Period

Question Period

Closing Remarks

Video with thanks from MIKE JABLONSKI

http://www.wasagabeachtv.com/

Wasaga Sun, candidate profile.

Wasaga Sun, candidate profile.

Robert Bortlisz — Wasaga Beach councillor

I'm re posting this because you now need a Torstar account to access our local stories on Simcoe.com.

I grew up spending a lot of time in the beach. My parents moved and then retired here as did I.  

The sandy shores and natural beauty drew people just like you and I here. We brought our energy, skills, expertise and slowly but surely built businesses, tourist attractions, cottages and homes. We grew into a town.

Together we built a good community. Some years were better than others. We moved forward, often named as one of the fasted growing towns.

But in the last 20 years a number of self interest groups came here telling us "we’re doing it all wrong." They come with outside experts (that often we have paid for) to convince us of this. They talk of Monaco and Miami Beach. They wanted you to sell your hydro.

They promise “big change.” They do not value your expertise and experience.

If we want to move forward then we have to get back to being a fun, friendly, relaxed community, where you can raise a family, do business or retire, have a garden and enjoy the natural amenities.   

We need to stay diverse, open to all cultures, income levels and remain an affordable town where young people can find a good start in life.

We need to make it easier to start or operate a business to create jobs and wealth. We need to get the best value of services for our tax dollars. We need to start thinking like a small tourist town again, not a big city!

I believe if ‘we’ do things wisely, issues like a high school, better medical access, parks and recreational facilities can be tackled, improved and resolved. Prudent financial planning has worked for us in the past. Prudent financial planning will take us where we want to be in our future.

I look for your support. 

Let’s move forward in the right direction.

Thank you.

https://www.simcoe.com/news-story/8849435-robert-bortlisz-wasaga-beach-councillor/#.W4RKRrC8mHI.facebook