Meldrum Bay today is looking better than it has in years
To the Expositor:
Let me start by saying that although I’m not an Islander or landowner, I’ve been coming to Manitoulin for almost 30 years and there is nowhere else my wife and I would rather spend our holidays. We count the days until our next visit and have introduced a number of other families to the Island over the years, several of whom have made return trips themselves. It’s a special, magical place for all kinds of reasons. So although I’ve held back my thoughts for years, feeling perhaps that I might be out of line to publicly voice my views about a place that was not my home, I can’t hold back any longer–why can’t the stakeholders of the Mississagi Lighthouse property get their act together?
No doubt the puzzle of who controls what aspect of the lighthouse is a confusing one: the federal government, Dawson and Robinson townships, the Manitoulin Tourism Association, Lafarge and what I assume to be a private landowner, with respect to the access road, all appear to have a stake in things. But from an outsider’s perspective, it’s hard to get a sense of who controls what and nobody I’ve ever spoken to has been able to provide a confident answer. Regardless of the intertwined relationships, I’ve always been bewildered as to why the simple upkeep and maintenance of this jewel appears to be beyond the ability (or caring) of those who have the power to do so.
On our recent holiday, my wife and I were thrilled to see the long overdue, excellent restoration work done to the lighthouse. For at least the last three summers, the tattered, leaky tarp covering the roof was a truly depressing sight to see upon pulling up to the campground. I’d hoped that the ancient septic bed may have received some of the same type of attention and been pumped and tuned up.
Sadly, this was not the case, and as usual, at least two flushes were required to clear any kind of volume, leaving you anxiously wondering if the next flush would send the whole mess spilling over the rim of the bowl. As with our last visit, two of the four showers were permanently out of order and for about a day, the water system completely broke down, a situation the campground manager Maddy Wagar and her assistant Hope rectified as soon as they could, not an easy task at such a remote site and even more difficult when plumbing is not something you are expert in.
I don’t think it’s a stretch to say basic strategic thinking would suggest that if you’d like to draw tourists to the far West End of the Island, having something for them to see and do once there would be the way to go about it. Sadly, having the official 2017 Manitoulin Visitors Guide tell daytrippers that there is a restaurant at the lighthouse (prepared food has not been available there for three years now) and having MTA staff (reported in the “Friends and Neighbors section of the Recorder on August 18) telling Welcome Centre visitors that “there’s nothing to see in Meldrum Bay, don’t bother going there” certainly won’t help. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I read that.
Meldrum Bay today is looking better than it has in years—the store has reopened with enthusiastic new owners, the inn continues on as a reliable destination for those seeking quality food and accommodation, a new cell tower has brought reliable wireless communication and new diesel, gas and marine pumping facilities are slated to be installed at the marina this fall. It’s time the lighthouse received a bit more love from those with the ability to make things happen. And I think the word “bit” is important, as I believe meaningful improvements could be done for much, much less than the $400,000 dollars MTA Operations Manager Shelba Millette has said is the total of the unfunded wish list her organization has compiled.
Is a grassroots, community effort, involving all stakeholders who care about the property, an option? Chipping in time and resources? Often much can be accomplished, usually faster and sometimes better, by motivated individuals rather than by lumbering, bloated bureaucratic government channels. At the very least, the before mentioned plumbing issues need to be addressed immediately. As Ms. Millette herself has said, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
Maddy Wagar has done much with very little this summer and we, along with other Mississagi Lighthouse lovers, owe her our thanks. We hope to see her, or whoever ends up operating the site next year, receiving more support to make this historic and natural treasure shine. They and the many people who make the trip out to visit the lighthouse deserve better and so do the people of Manitoulin Island.
Respectfully,
Tom and Beth Legere
Peterborough
