The Observation Deck

Justine Cooper wrote:http://www.cleveland.com/tipoff/index.ssf/2012/08/clifton_park_residents_in_lake.html

Justine

This has been brewing for about 2 years. It is a wild story how it all started, but I think
when reading the paperwork, that Dennis Butler's clients will win this one.

Dennis, father of Lakewood Law Director Kevin Butler, and Clifton Park longtime resident
never gets involved with frivolous actions.

We shall see.

Me personally, I say open the beach to all of Lakewood.

.

"Who'd want to join the kind of club that would let someone like me in?" Groucho Marx

How could they open it up to us all Jim and let us "riff raff" in? lol

I can't see paying to go to a God-made beach anyway when there are so many beautiful spots out there for free.

So is the feud between the homeowners and the club that rents out memberships then? I haven't followed this and read it in the PD this morning.

Some random thoughts on this topic:

(1) I think it's completely beyond reason that a town that goes by the name "Lakewood" has no public access actually INTO Lake Erie for swimming. None that I know of easily, anyways.

(2) All states should do what Hawai'i does and that is : every single beach access is public. Period. There can be laws put in place to protect it (i.e. alcohol use, etc.) but all beaches have the right to be enjoyed by everyone.

(3) There definitely are other places around to drive to and go to the beach. It just would be nice to do something closer to home.

JMHO

"They belong to no one and to everyone."

That is the logic behind the open access to all beach areas in Hawaii. They are a natural treasure that belong to everyone. Remarkably, they successfully manage to juggle private ownership of property along the beach with guaranteed public access without any loss of property value or undue problems with privacy or crime. I completely agree with this philosophy and wonder why beach areas are not shared with all people.

If Clifton Club loses access to the beach, they will lose members and revenue. Will
homeowners in Clifton Park then be expected to make up for that loss of monies that go toward maintaining the property? We all know how they HATE to pay more taxes!

Justine Cooper wrote:So is the feud between the homeowners and the club that rents out memberships then? I haven't followed this and read it in the PD this morning.

Justine

I would say that is not what this fight is really about as with many things in the hollar known
it starts with something unrelated and boils over into something crazy!

But the basis is, longtime residents have seen their access to the beach erode as fast as
the beach they are looking to use.* It has gone from going down when you wanted to
having to book beach time a year in advance to get a grill or a table. Of course he club
sees this as a great way to keep their party going. The residents, are saying no more. If
you read the original charter of the Clifton Park residents, you would see why they are
suing. According to their charter it takes a 100% agreement from all homeowners to
change anything in the charter like "selling/leasing/renting" beach access.

But this is payback time, and I assure you it will get ugly. Many have bought into "beach
life" especially through some "social/economic clubs." The original parcel went from
Riverside Drive, down West Clifton (his son's name not location) to Clifton, East to Webb Rd.
North to the lake.

Again, this was started by something so unrelated, only in Lakewood.

Stay tuned.

*Actually Clifton Beach is building beach and retaining it!

I agree with Mathew. When i lived in Philadelphia there were many beaches to drive to in Jersey, Maryland and Delaware but yet there were some in Jersey that you had to pay at the gate to walk on lol.

I also agree with Mathew that there are many lovely places to go to outside of Lakewood and those beach communities do get our money for gas and meals and extras. It would be wonderful for Lakewood to have a beach with public access.

A boat dock would be nice in Lakewood too.

why don't we "occupy" clifton beach?

Beat the Asian Carp ! They are a few years away.
What can we do about this ?

Wow... I'm either stupid or I'm riff-raff because I've lived in Lakewood for 10 years and never knew there was a beach down there. Huh... and here I thought the perk of living on the west-end was smelling what my husband and I affectionately call "churning-night." Haha. No beach for us riff-raff, we just get stench.

Stan Austin wrote:"Who'd want to join the kind of club that would let someone like me in?" Groucho Marx

Actually, Stan, his line was, "Please accept my resignation. I don't care to belong to any club that will have me as a member".
Marx Brothers movies were a staple of my very early years. Groucho probably taught me to talk.

john crino wrote:why don't we "occupy" clifton beach?

Hey John, I don't think it's worth it. The best that can be said about it is that it is a beach. It has curbstones in the water so your toddlers can't do their little body surfing thing without getting slammed in the chest-- and it's small. Having that beach crammed with people wouldn't be very fun, I can see why "steps are being taken..."

I think our time would be better spent developing a real public beach. The public owns the lakefront at Lakewood Park, and I think the City also has the lakefront behind Lakewood Catholic Academy. That whole strip would make an amazing beach-- an amazing asset for Lakewood.

There was a plan that gets talked about now and then that sounded so good I can't understand why it didn't get more attention around here from the different groups that like to study developing Lakewood.

It was not only a beach, but a peninsula that went out into the lake. I can't remember the name of the person who designed it. The plans were drawn up, sources for money were located.. I'm not sure what happened to it. But since we're spending so much money on aesthetic things--- wayfinding and driveways and new fake bricks for visitors--- so much money! for stuff like that! When in key locations Downtown like the old CVS there's a dollar store, and a Great Cuts and cell phone stores. And a wonderful new huge CVS and Drug Mart-- but who will come here for that?

People would really come for a peninsula and a beach. Unless it was residents only, with guests, like our pools, I guess that's something that could be looked at.

But while we're spending all of this money, how about spending some of it on something for people who live in Lakewood and that would really make Lakewood attractive to new residents?

Betsy Voinovich