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McRae
Beach Association Inc. McRae Beach Association Inc. *Knowing your community members means fun, security and safety. Protect yourself, your children, your friends and other family members and visitors – join your beach association! 1. *Executive Members for 2005-2006: Past President** Mary Ellen
Jamieson 7 Ashwood
Sunday June 18 Executive
Meeting 11 AM 1st park
Bingo - Saturday, July
1 7:00 p.m. to Dusk in 1st Park
Beach Garage Sale - Saturday, June 24 (Rain date, Sunday, June25th) – 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. - The sale will be advertised locally as “McRae Beach Street Sale”. Simply set up your items on your lawn/driveway and have fun! * A second garage sale may be arranged if there is enough interest by Beach Members. Please speak to the Executive if you are interested. Corn Roast - Date TBA – Check bulletin boards near the end of August when corn is ready. Field Day – Sunday, August 6 11:00 a.m. in 1st Park
**Agenda, minutes, notices and newsletters will be strategically placed
in the two parks and on the new bulletin board at 17 McRae South. Look for
them there.
The amendments that were proposed at the Association Meetings last summer were voted on and unanimously approved. If any member would like to view a copy of the current constitution please contact Mary Ellen Jamieson, Terry McGuire or Sheila Harrington.
As you are aware, we are fortunate that a beach member has offered legal services and contacted various ministries to request information, under the Freedom of Information Act. Some requests for information required a $5 fee which was paid for by the Beach Association. At the present time there is no further information available about the bridge proposal. Our volunteer lawyer will be applying for any new information once again under the Freedom of Information Act. It is possible that the proposal could be in the project stage and therefore no information is currently available under the FOA Any information received will be posted on the bulletin boards and our website. If any member becomes aware of any relevant information, please bring it to the attention of the Executive. We will continue to seek out any new information about the bridge proposals and that ensure that our voices are heard.
The McRae Beach Association website is designed for those who are new to the Beach, for seasoned beach mates and for those who live permanently at the Beach. The web address is http://www.mcraebeachassociation.com . Just find it once and then bookmark it so you can easily refer to it often. The site contains a copy of the latest newsletter, minutes of past meetings, announcements of future events and a list of the executive. The Around Town page will tell you what goods and services you can find in the surrounding towns and The Lake will give you in-depth information about the simple things you can do around the house or cottage to try to preserve Lake Simcoe. The Info page includes a lost and found, police alerts for the area, general safety tips, and personal Beach classified ads (contact the Webmaster). The site also has a Community Resources page that includes information on garbage pick-up, emergency numbers, and other useful community information. We hope you will make use of this site to keep in touch with what is going on at the Beach, especially when you are away, and that you will send the Webmaster any relevant information you find or ideas about what the site should contain. Happy surfing!
At our last general meeting (September 2005) it was decided that our fees for the year 2006 should remain at $25/household. Our Treasurer, Pat Roughley and her team will be collecting the fees beginning this weekend. Make your cheque payable to McRae Beach Association and ensure that your beach address is included. A membership card will be provided once your fees have been received. Your card entitles you and your family to participate in all activities arranged by your Beach Association and to vote at general meetings (1 vote/household). Currently a significant percentage of the fees
collected go to our annual field day and to maintaining our parks for all
to enjoy. The privilege of an open space for a game of
baseball/volleyball, a place to launch watercraft, 150+ feet of
unobstructed shoreline to view our fabulous sunsets, the aesthetics of
well-maintained green space during an evening walk, a place to chat with
friends and neighbours throughout the day is all ours for a mere
$25/household per year. As well, money from the fees collected will
be used to continue to access records and information pertaining to the
proposed bridge to Georgina Island and the possible casino as well as, to
look into or look after other matters which affect our well-being as
residents. Please pay your fees before July 9th. After that
time a list of paid members will be posted. 8. Water Testing for the Lake Currently the water in the McRae Beach area of Lake Simcoe is not being tested because it is considered private property. Mary Ellen Jamieson has agreed to check into how we can arrange to have the water in the 2 parks tested. Information on this matter will be shared as it becomes available. 9. Grass Cutting in the Parks: J.J. Enterprises (17 McRae Beach S.) will once again look after cutting and trimming the grass in both parks as per the following schedule: May 4 cuts, June 4 cuts, July 4 cuts, August 3 cuts, September 3 cuts and October 3 cuts. As many of you are aware, the parks we enjoy belong to the estate of Thomas McRae. Wanting to keep the deeded right of access to such parks in the hands of those who live or cottage on the original McRae farm, we, as an Association, have agreed to look after the upkeep on such lands.
We need one to two hours of your time in the park closest to your dwelling on Sunday, June 18th at 1:30 p.m. Please bring a rake, a shovel, a paper leaf bag, your muscles and a sense of humour. Together we can make a difference for all to enjoy. Note: long grass indicates debris to be removed. It would be really helpful if all docks could be out of the parks by that time.
We are looking for donations of any new items, particularly those of interest to our adult and teen members, to round out our prize roster. If you work for, own and/or patronize a company that would like to donate an item(s) to our Beach Association, please bring the donation to 64 Blue Heron between July 29th and August 5th. Perhaps you yourself would like to make a personal donation. Please attach a “donated by” card to your item(s). All donations will be formally acknowledged. Thank you!
A new bulletin board has been placed on James Jones’ property so that residents of McRae Beach South can have quick and easy access to all Beach Association information. Thank you to James for doing this.
Did you know that even summer cottagers can have The Advocate delivered to them? Just call The Advocate at 905-476-7753 and request weekly delivery between May and October. It’s a great way to keep up on local news.
This is a new section that will now be included in each newsletter. If you have anything you’d like included in the future, please speak to a member of the Executive. a) Dumping of Aquatic Weeds - Again this year we have had requests from beach members to ask residents to stop dumping their aquatic weeds in the ditches/field across the street. When left there in large piles the weeds rot and smell. Please dispose of weeds properly as outlined below or use them on your lawn as fertilizer. b) New McRae Beach Sign –
Our new McRae Beach sign has now been in place many
c) Water Markers - We have been asked to remind all waterfront beach members to consider placing a marker in the water at the 30m (100 ft) mark from shore. This marker would help to indicate the legally designated swimming area and encourage watercraft to maintain a proper speed and distance from shore. The markers would also help to indicate the location of water systems.
15. Yard Waste and Aquatic Weeds (seaweed/duckweed) Pickup Regular yard waste must be placed in either the brown paper bags available at most local hardware stores, or in a reusable garbage can that is clearly marked “Yard Waste”. Residents may place lakeshore waste in CLEAR, UNTAGGED bags for free curbside collection on Mondays, our regular garbage day. Note: Aquatic waste that is left to decay can not only have unpleasant odour, but it robs the lake/fish of oxygen particularly over the winter months. 16. Stay Safe This Summer! Beach/Swimming Safety Make sure that someone has an eye on the children at all times. They should be no farther than an arm’s length away while in the water. It takes less than 2 cups of water to drown a child! Parents and/or guardians are responsible for the safety of their children. Use a sunscreen of SPF 15 or greater and make sure to apply it twenty to thirty minutes before sun exposure. Don’t forget to apply it to places that are easily burned such as your nose and ears. Be sure to reapply sunscreen often, to yourself and your kids. Make sure to protect your eyes by wearing sunglasses. Try to buy a pair that blocks 100 percent of the suns ultraviolet rays. If you use floatation devices, take care to always be in control of them. You don’t want to drift far from shore. Don't mix alcohol and swimming. Alcohol impairs
your judgement, balance, and coordination, affects your swimming and
diving skills, and reduces your body's ability to stay warm.
Boater Saftey & Regulations 17. Volunteers A list of volunteers who have agreed to assist the Executive Committee with various activities will be posted on all the bulletin boards. Thank you to everyone who has volunteered. It’s never too late to have your name added!
We extend a hearty welcome to all who have made McRae Beach their permanent or summer address since last season. As a reminder to those of us who have been around for some time, the FYI to our new arrivals: ? Georgina Township requires dogs to be
leashed or otherwise restrained at all times
Just a reminder that we must all obey fire
regulations, particularly the following taken from the back of
Georgina’s No person shall set or maintain: a) any fire involving prohibited materials 20. Please Accompany Your Guests The McRae Beach Association asks that all residents accompany their guests while they are using community parks. In order to maintain the privacy of our beaches, it is important to be able to identify the casual passersby who choose McRae Beach as a nice place to picnic, go for a swim or launch their boat. When you accompany your guests, we all have the opportunity to enjoy our uncrowded beaches and beautiful sunsets. 21.Field Day Once again we invite you to plan and run an event for all to enjoy. On August 6th please bring to Park #1 any equipment needed for your event. Your Beach Association will provide prizes for the participants. Share your talents with your neighbours. We would love to have anyone with a talent they are willing to demonstrate to use the field day as an opportunity to show it off. All types of talents are welcome: singing, dancing, art work, gymnastics, crafts, comedy, etc. A prize will be give to everyone who participates.
If you have any comments, suggestions of questions about the information in the newsletter please feel free to contact any member of the Executive listed above.
Created by: Carole Benson
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