History Timeline of Lakefield Park -The Last 110 Years
January 9th, 1911 By-law number 472, authorizing the purchase of "Hague's Point for park purposes through the issuance of debentures in the amount of $3,000.”
January 13th, 1911 By-law number 476, confirmed the purchase of the property. Approximate size of the property is 32 acres.
July 1, 1912 "All the family...went up the Lake as far as Henderson's Narrows for a picnic returning early. Spent a short time at Hague Point." (Walter Madill's Journal)
1915 - “The front part of the park … to a depth of 400 feet was free of small trees and brush. The rest of the park was in its wild and natural state. There was an abundance of wildflowers, raspberries, strawberries, haw trees and puff balls. For some years in the early and mid teens it was rented out as pasture for $40 per season.” (Nelson’s Falls to Lakefield, 1999)
October 15, 1916 "Went over to Hague Point in the afternoon for a walk with wife and two youngest children." (Walter Madill had been on Town Council since 1912 and perhaps he was checking out the area for town purposes.)
1920s … a meeting was held in the Memorial Hall to form a Park Committee. The committee along with invited volunteers began to limb up trees and cut brush along the river edge, to make a passable roadway from D’Eyncourt to the marsh.” (Nelson’s Falls, 1999).
1931 to 1933 unemployed people on welfare were offered cash rewards for work clearing brush in the park and removing stones to a crushing area near the entrance. (Nelson’s Falls, 1999).
1932 Moses Marsden, who lived nearby built the wooden gate entrance to Lakefield Park (see Photos tab).
June 14th, 1933, a portion of the property was sold for a house at the Park entrance, as well as the lumber mill behind (2.5 acres).
July 22nd, 1937, lots were surveyed, and leases drawn up for a term of ten years. (The Lessee was required to pay taxes on the cottage, in addition to the lease payment).
1945, several additional lots were surveyed, bringing the total number of lots to 31. Council requested the removal of all remaining boat houses, the last was torn down in 1948.
1950 to 1954 Wilfred and Alice Murduff operated a modest campground on Hague Point, which consisted of 3 small cabins, wooden tent platforms and tenting spaces.
October 16th, 1954 Hurricane Hazel devastated Hague Point and destroyed most of the tree cover. It took a workman and a horse drawn trailer six months to clear the debris. The trees were cut into lumber at the adjoining lumber mill on D’Eyncourt Street. (See Photos and report of the storm damage in the Examiner by Nick Nickels, who resided in the Park at that time.)
mid 1950's Trailers began to arrive in the park but were not allowed to park over the winter. Transient family camping continued. The Village administered the campground. In time the number of trailers increased exponentially, to over 150 “seasonal sites.” (For the next 20 years, “leaching pits and grey water dumping” took place.)
1958 The beach is relocated from the village (east) side of the river to the current location in Lakefield Park, which was considered to be healthier, by the local medical authorities.
1965 Hague Leaseholders Association formed by the cottagers to represent their interests in Lakefield Park.
March 1st, 1967 Village Council grants the Lakefield & District Lions Club the right to operate a concession stand at the beach.
1976 sewer mains and lateral hookups for 53 or the 150 trailers were installed with a holding tank for the remainder. This infrastructure is now 45 years old and replacement will cost the municipality between $650,000 and $800,000, according to a Wills engineering firm estimate. (Monteith + Brown "Service Delivery Review for the Selwyn Parks and Recreation Department." 11 Nov. 2020)
1977 Village Park Committee reported that "all camp sites taken in summer, and more trailers remained for the winter."
September 2nd, 1979 Frank Adam, Chair of Park Committee reported that "30 more campsites were created from the tennis court to the washrooms." Frank Adam owned a house/cottage in the park. He remained the Chair until December 1982.
February 1981 Lions Club motion to sell the old park building to the Village for a token sum of "1.00 and other considerations" (including the installation of a plaque to recognize the service organization's substantial contribution to a new park building).
November 26th, 1981 Letter from the Village offering residents "loose rocks" to be placed along the shore, north of Smith Street, to prevent erosion from boat traffic in the canal.
July 24th 1982 Village of Lakefield officially opens a brick building at the beach, which included accessible washrooms and a snack bar, built largely with volunteer labour and donated materials from the local community, plus a donation of $10,000 from the Lions Club. The building is still marked with the Lions Club emblem. Frank Adam gave the opening speech to the crowd.
1984 Village of Lakefield names the ball field in Lakefield Park as "The Douglas Sport Centre" in memory of Dr. Campbell M. Douglas and his son George Douglas. (recommended by Les Smith, following a Name the Ball Field contest).
1989 "Lakefield Wetland Report" completed by Jacob Rodenburg for the Lakefield Marsh Association, which contributed information to the Provincially Significant Wetland designation.
May 13th, 1991 Lakefield CAUSE study report by the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) members was released. Many of its recommendations were later carried out. A specific statement on the campground read “The Waterfront and Lakefield Park should be maintained as public land. Campers should be removed. The trailer park is not appropriate use for this Village land. Trailer park creates poor image/views.” Recommendations included 1) "Develop the peninsula point into a resort hotel complex 2) Maintain existing ballfield 3) Facilities for annual festival 4) Maintain 150 foot setback distance from the shoreline for any development 5) Provide walkway system through open space system."
September 28th, 1992 issue of the Katchawanooka Herald reported that the campground revenue for 1992 was $135,775 and that from “the $100,000 in excess profits, the library board was loaned $50,000” to cover the cost of relocating the library to the old fire hall. The Lease payment/taxes on the 28 lots (2 cottages were removed to make way for the beach in the park) totaled $47,669, for a total of $183,444 in park revenue that year.
December 1993, the Village received a legal opinion which indicated that the Village could "...declare the [cottage] property surplus for its original purpose, and deal with it as it sees fit thereafter." (Issue was subsequently resolved by the sale of the lots to the Lessees, for over $1 million to the park reserve fund, part of which was used to expand Isabel Morris Park in 2003. In addition a $140,000 Community Improvement Charge was applied to the installation of the sewer line, which also connected the Trailer Park to the Village waste water treatment facility for the first time).
December 1st, 1994 a new Village of Lakefield Council took office. One of the first issues with which they were confronted, was Hague Point/Lakefield Campground. The question that came to the forefront was that of best long-term possible use of public property. This action was prompted by new provincial regulations applicable to campground operations, and fire regulations as well.
October 10th, 1995 the final Report of the Hague Point Advisory Committee was discussed at a public meeting in the Marshland Centre. It provided four options related to the Lakefield Campground’s future, and its 150 plus sites:
Option 1: Status Quo – maintain the trailer and overnight camping sites as they now exist.
Option 2: Tent & Trailer Use with Perimeter Greenbelt.
Option 3: Eco-Park/Greenspace – remove all camping and trailer use to return to open park.
Option 4: Hotel/Convention Centre – sell the campground space to private developer.
1995-1996 Following the public meeting Village Council decided to remove 38 trailer sites on the west side facing the Marsh, as well as the east side near the beach, to provide a setback buffer from the water, as well as room to extend the Lakefield Trail around the point and along the marsh. All campground docks were removed as well as permanent decks attached to the trailers.
1996 a volunteer group "Imagine the Marsh" fund-raised and acquired Scotties Marina within Lakefield Park, “for the conservation of a provincially significant wetland, source water protection, biological diversity, and conservation education as well as nature appreciation. The property was acquired with the generous involvement of many local citizens, the Imagine the Marsh Committee, and the Otonabee Region Conservation Foundation. The Imagine the Marsh Conservation Area features interpretive signage, and a two-level viewing tower.” (ORCA website).
1996 Village Council decided to turn over the operation of the Lakefield Campground to a private individual in return for a lump sum payment from revenue generated. The Operator has continued for the last 25 years. Subsequent contracts were renewed in 2000 with the Village of Lakefield, 2004 with the newly amalgamated township of Smith, Ennismore & Lakefield. The dimension of the trailer camp was limited to 117 spaces and the boundaries illustrated by a Schedule “B” map.
June 7th, 1998 Lakefield Marsh is designated as a Provincially Significant Wetland (MNR GeoHub ID # 1251540661)
1999/2000 the Village of Lakefield Special Events Committee was a Council appointed committee with a mandate to coordinate and plan activities to celebrate Lakefield's 125th Anniversary and the new millennium. One of the projects developed by this committee was the development of the Lakefield Trail, a 5.5 km scenic trail network throughout the Village. Fundraising efforts attracted government grants to support the project and many hours of volunteer time. It was built in phases beginning in 1999 and completed in late 2000. The Lakefield Millennium Trail explores the west side of the Otonabee River following it to the southern tip of Katchewanooka Lake at Hague Point and south from there beside adjacent provincial wetlands to the Marsh observation platform.
January 1st, 2001 The Village of Lakefield was forced by Ministerial Order to merge with the newly amalgamated township of Smith-Ennismore (SEL).
2002 The newly created Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield Council ordered the removal of all privately owned docks on public waterways by Resolution 2002 - 321. Docks along the east and west banks of the Otonabee River in Lakefield Ward were removed by the Township, completely ignoring the existence of privately owned Trailer Park docks in Lakefield Park.
2003-2004 a conference centre/hotel was proposed by developers to SEL Council, but it was ultimately rejected as being unworkable on Hague Point, in Lakefield Park.
September 2003 SEL purchased property for $290,000 from the $1 million sale of the cottage lots in Lakefield Park to expand Isobel Morris Park to accommodate play structures.
2004 in the new lease the Township agreed to waive all municipal taxes potentially owing on the campground (clause 4.07). This was in response to the Province floating the idea of property taxes on trailers.
2011 Selwyn Council decided, without public consultation, to allow the Operator to expand the trailer sites to the west (Area # 5) beside the Trail and within the mandated buffer zone for the Provincially Significant Wetland Lakefield Marsh. This adjustment to the contract was only recently revealed in 2020 correspondence with Township staff; that the number of spaces was increased beyond the 117 spaces allowed in all previous contracts.
January 15th, 2013 Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield Township was official rebranded Selwyn Township.
2013 The Operator registered 2376772 Ontario Ltd. as the Lessee of the Lakefield Campground. The same year Selwyn Township enacted By-law No. 2013-083 to “License, Regulate and Govern Tourist Camps and Trailer Camps.” A $150 license is now required from every Operator, and the said license can be revoked for non-compliance with the rules. In addition, each Operator requires an annual Permit ($200) to operate, plus $10 for each new campsite.
October 6th 2020, mature trees in the last remaining stand in Lakefield Park were cut down to make way for an expansion of the trailer sites into an overnight camping area outside the boundaries of the campground as defined in the 2011 agreement. (See Schedule “B” map). This was a flagrant violation of the contract, as the work was not authorized in writing by Selwyn Township which has exclusive rights for “tree removal and trimming,” as per the contract.
October 13th, 2020 three members of the Lakefield community were present (in-person) at the Selwyn Township council meeting to ask questions relevant to the contract. It was established that no “cost-benefit analysis” has ever been done in 24 years of trailer park operation. The Council decided not to automatically renew the campground contract at the recommendation of the Parks and Recreation Department.
November 2020 “The Friends of Lakefield Park” was formed as a group to explore “alternative uses,” more in keeping with the vision of the CAUSE Study (1991) and the Hague Point Advisory Committee (1995) and their reports.
November 11th, 2020 - Monteith Brown Review presented at Selwyn Township Council meeting. The Review recommended that a public consultation be undertaken in the next two years to determine the future of Lakefield Park.
December 10th, 2020 Selwyn Council directed staff to conduct a utilization study of the campground, and trailer park.
January 29th, 2021 Monteith Brown hired to study future utilization options for Lakefield Campground, within Lakefield Park.
February 1st to March 31st, 2021 Monteith Brown Background Report prepared to examine current contract with private operator, financial assessment, costly infrastructure upgrade costs assessed and best practices in other municipalities.
Mid April to mid May, 2021 Monteith Brown Community Engagement via on-line survey for public input, and reaction to 5 possible options - plus 10 key informants reaction to the proposals. A "Visioning Session" with Council and a special meeting to refine the options down to two or three.
May 5th, 2021 - Monteith Brown presented Lakefield Campground Utilization Study – Interim Research Report (April 9, 2021) to Selwyn Council during a Special Council Meeting (4 to 6 PM). This was the first opportunity for ratepayers to appraise the work being conducted under the $30,000 consultation. One example in the report stands out; The Town of Perth removed all trailers in the Last Duel Park. Subsequently the Perth Council set up a local Advisory Committee consisting of local residents, 2 councillors and staff rather than hiring expensive consultants to tell the community what to do with their parkland. (This process is similar to the 1996 Village of Lakefield Hague Point Advisory Committee, whose report is posted under "Resources" tab).
June to mid July, 2021 Draft Report prepared and presented to Council, followed by a Public Information Session before the Final Draft Report is submitted to Council.