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www.mybaycity.com October 27, 2013
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Aerial photo shows outline in red of Bay City State Recreation Area, with target area for public access at far right.

BAY ACCESS: Paraleon Beach Revisited: Chamber Sets Saginaw Bay Priority

October 27, 2013       2 Comments
By: Dave Rogers

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Return with us now to those heady days of yesteryear when anybody who wanted to could go to the shore of Saginaw Bay.

When dancers frolicked at the Paraleon Beach bandstand, perhaps doing the Charleston in saddle shoes and bobby sox. Ah, yes, the good old days!

Those visions danced in the heads of about 100 recreation enthusiasts and public officials representing a variety of state and local groups earlier this week at the DoubleTree.

Free public access to Saginaw Bay is one of the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce priority goals, says President Mike Seward.

Seward called the lack of public access to the bay "an embarrassment" and said the goal should be "universal access for a lifetime."

A pier jutting as long as 1,500 feet into the bay was among ideas explored at a Bay City State Recreation Area planning session Monday.

Spence Brothers Construction, of Saginaw, had a tentative design of an access point of several acres at the foot of State Park Drive with 600 feet on the bay that anyone could drive into, park, view the bay and get close to deep water on the pier.

Buildings would be situated at the site for public use. There is 5,600 feet of shoreline on the bay at the State Park, 1,200 of which is groomed and 4,400 remaining in a natural state. Phragmites cover has been reduced from 74 percent in 20054 to 15 percent in 2010, according to state officials, through DNR permits.

By opening the bay front site, an opportunity would arise to develop the adjacent old Bay City Waterworks buildings, now in private hands but dormant for many years.

The state purchased the land at the site several years ago and a fence now separates the public from the bay. Visitors seeking access now have to purchase a state recreation pass and enter the park a mile or two to the west.


Glenn Rowley reports comments from his group of planners.
Photo by Dave Rogers
© MyBayCity.com


Bay County is considering using grant money to purchase nearby land, perhaps the golf driving range at Euclid Avenue and Beaver Road, and exchange it with the state to acquire the parcel on the bay at the foot of State Park Drive.

The ideas take their inspiration from the old Paraleon Beach which had a pier, amusement rides and a bandstand with dance floor. Local folks who were in their youth in the 1920s through the 1950s recall enjoying free access to the bay at Paraleon, which was an open sandy wedge located at the foot of State Park Drive.

In the modern version, Paraleon Beach would become the focal point for visitors who now have difficulty getting a clear view of the bay because there are few open, free access points.

Planning session participants B.J. and Gail Schwartz, who live on Tobico Beach, told of allowing visitors from China, desperate to see the bay, traipse across their yard to the beach. The "oohs and aahs' by the oriental visitors convinced the Schwartzes the proposed public access project has great merit.

David Birchler of Clearzoning of Lathrup Village said the intent of the meeting was to evaluate and discuss lakefront and beach access at the Bay City State Recreation Area. The gathering was sponsored by the Parks and Recreation Division of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the County of Bay.

Birchler explained that organic muck began forming on the bayshore in the 1950s, creating on-going management problems. The Save Our Shoreline group and two Bay County commissioners, Ernie Krygier and Kim Coonan, have been active in beach cleanup, raising funds through periodic events.



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"The BUZZ" - Read Feedback From Readers!

ogarl Says:       On October 29, 2013 at 10:26 AM
Dave you've done a great job capturing the discussion at the Shoreline meeting last week. Currently DNR is compiling a summary of the comments and the 'dot sheets' showing local priorities. The next step will be to sort out what the next steps will be - for the park and park management in Lansing. Will they be agreeable to pursuing our priority elements identified at the meeting? Please stay tuned as we've made some head-way, but I've read the history, and we've made head-way before. We all need to stay engaged and focussed and expect positive results. Thank you.
Elliott1080 Says:       On April 22, 2014 at 10:21 AM
This is very exciting and practically in my back yard. Food, music and the Bay is a beautiful combination.
Note: It is not appropriate to refer to Asian people as "oriental".
Agree? or Disagree?


Dave Rogers

Dave Rogers is a former editorial writer for the Bay City Times and a widely read,
respected journalist/writer in and around Bay City.
(Contact Dave Via Email at carraroe@aol.com)

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