Work has officially begun on the Town of Brome Lake’s public access project, a project that will provide citizens access to the lake in the Bondville sector. With the financial support of the Carke Foundation and the Poulin family, a 13-acre piece of land, formerly owned by the Poulin’s, was purchased at the corner of Cowell and Bondville Street in 2019. This property served as the site for the famous Terrace Inn during the 20th century and will now become an additional recreational space for residents alongside the already existing Douglas Beach and Tiffany Beach.
“We were ready to do a lot of things, but with Covid we could not. So, now we started working on the parking down below. (…) We are going to do the parking lot this year. The sanitary facilities, the building for the washrooms, we were going to do it this year, but a grant has opened up, a program, where we could receive up to $100,000 in a grant from the government (federal)” explained Burcombe.
Burcombe said that the town is expecting a response for their request from the federal government in September or October, but that council already approved an architectural plan at its council meeting two months ago for the sanitary building that they hope to start working on next year.
Burcombe also emphasized that project was made possible as a result of the support and cooperation of the Carke Foundation ($600,000) and the Poulin family ($250,000).
“It (the foundation) is people that contribute money in their will and consequently the money is in the foundation only to be used for recreation or the pleasure of all citizens in the Town of Brome Lake,” he said. “(…) The Poulin family sold it (the land) to the Carke Foundation and they gave it to the town.”
Having around 150 feet of free waterfront was a major motivator for the project and it will open up recreational opportunities for citizens.
“That was a big thing with the Carke Foundation was that it was going to give a second access, a public access. I mean yes, we have Tiffany, but it can be filled up pretty quickly. Their kayaks, paddle boats, ped-velos, whatever, anything non-motorized can be put in there,” mentioned Burcombe. “(…) It’s going to be very nice.”
With 13-acres of land, the town also hopes to create walking paths through the wooded that leads to the space. The fences surrounding the property will be updated and more cross-walks and stop signs will be installed in Bondville for citizens and residents crossing the street. The space, known as Terrasse Carke, will be free for residents, but tourists will have to pay a fee.
The sanitary facilities, which will also include a storage space for employees, will be somewhat modern with a touch of nature.
“There will be grass on top, on the roof, so people can probably sit there. The entrance will be underneath and built into the vegetation. The look of it in front will be a bit modern, but with the vegetation all around it and the greenery on the roof, it’s going to be nice,” noted Burcombe.
Like the former Terrace Inn, the town hopes to recreate history and have Terrasse Carke become a gathering space for the community.
“I’m excited that we are finally going ahead,” said Burcombe.
Listen to the full interview below: