I am a home owner and resident of the Little River area. I understand that the placement of benches and tables at the end of Mayfair Road and the management of this area for the well-being of the local community still seems to be a point of contention with individuals pressuring MOTI for fundamental changes to this beach access area.
Those benches and tables form the meeting place for a small number of older and not so old, residents in this small community. They are not there all day but come and go, constituents and numbers vary throughout the day.
As a psychiatrist, I know firsthand the tragedy of lonely seniors who don't know their neighbours and never get out of the house.
The beach is not suitable as some are of limited mobility and it is rocky. These local residents are the ones who pick up the trash left by those who don't live here; they provide a garbage can for trash and other deposits.
This tiny convening area is a charming accident and a goal of community planners everywhere, often contrived and unsuccessful, of creating a centre where people can meet their neighbours. Here we have an example of a naturally formed and consistently well utilized and beneficial gathering place.
If some of the impetus behind the question of whether the meeting place be removed, is the resident next to the access, I would not be surprised. The owner, and I think part-time resident, is responsible for reducing the parking at the beach access, planting trees that will obstruct neighbouring views, building a house that was over-height, and generally being as lacking in community spirit as it is humanly possible. Those are however, matters over which the MOTI has either no jurisdiction or no complaint.
If the seating is replaced I suspect it may not be accompanied with the same sense of responsibility and pride; it would, in my opinion, be the second best option. Replacement as a way to reduce seating would be very undesirable and indicate a very negative stance toward the community as a whole by the MOTI. The current arrangement functions well. I hope that you listen to the proponents on this worthwhile subject and let the majority keep this little gem in Little River, as long as it is working. In the future as time and residential change ensues, perhaps it will go away because, sadly, these things happen.
Lauren Lupton
Little River