“The party’s going to go on as scheduled. There’s no way to cancel it now,” contends Cynthia Pinnell. “It is what it is.”
On behalf of ABATE, secretary Cynthia Pinnell met with West Grey Council at its regular meeting on Monday morning, to ask council to reconsider a decision to bring an end to the annual Final Frontier event being held this holiday weekend.
ABATE, a non-profit group of Ontario motorcycle enthusiasts is discouraged and disappointed with a recent council resolution stating the annual Final Frontier weekend, held for the past 22 years on ABATE property between Priceville and Durham, will no longer be allowed to take place. In addition, no camping will be allowed on site until proper rezoning of the property is complete.
In the past, council has granted approval for camping on a temporary basis, with the understanding campers would vacate the land at the conclusion of the event. Residents in the area of the ABATE property met with council on July 5, voicing concerns over noise, campfires and the continued appearance of trailers on the property.
Council listened to ABATE’s concerns on Monday, primarily that it is now too late to cancel the Final Frontier weekend, but remained unmoved in holding to its original resolution to ban the event due to contravention of West Grey zoning bylaws and Grey County’s official plan.
“I understand where council is coming from, but our event is going on regardless,” Ms. Pinnell told the Confederate.
Final Frontier annually sees hundreds of campers set up for the weekend, with live entertainment and competitions adding to the festivities. Ms. Pinnell said ABATE respects council and would like to work with them on the issue, but it just isn’t possible to cancel the bands and stop this year’s event.
Other communities such as Port Dover and New Liskeard enjoy weekend bike events that are both popular and beneficial to the host communities, and Durham is no exception.
“The townsfolk in Durham are awesome,” said Ms. Pinnell. “The community is for us. It’s just a handful of people who have a problem.”
The Final Frontier weekend is the main fundraiser donating money to the Grey Bruce Eat and Learn program. ABATE also adopts a section of roadway in West Grey and helped with clean-up following last year’s tornado in Durham.
Ms. Pinnell said the event was held for many years without complaints, and ABATE had no neighbours when the property was first purchased. She said not everyone is against the Final Frontier event, and no longer having it will be detrimental to the local economy.
She asked council to hold a special meeting to reconsider their stance, but Mayor Kevin Eccles refused on behalf of council, saying not enough new information has come to light to warrant such a meeting.
The group was issued a temporary permit to hold the event last year, and has already spent upwards of $20,000 on planning and other studies to make things right. Due to the cost of planning and rezoning, ABATE was unable to make its usual charitable donations last year.
If fines or charges are laid following this weekend’s event, ABATE’s charitable contributions will once again be affected.
“We’re here to help the community but, sadly, that’s how it has to work,” said Ms. Pinnell.