Residents north of Stirling aren’t giving up on reclaiming a decades old summer swimming hole and winter ice rink.
Recently, Stirling-Rawdon council voted to install fencing and gates, topped with barbed wire, around the Harold Quarry which is just south of Springbrook.
Stirling-Rawdon’s insurance company had warned of serious liability issues should someone be hurt while using the quarry.
Resident Alan Coxwell tells Quinte News the fence and liability concerns are ruining the lives of people in the area.
“At what point do you say this is bull**it and I’m not going to take it anymore, you know and that’s sort of where this has come to for people who love the quarry and have swum there for years and years and years and they just aren’t going to take it.”
A “swim-in” protest held Monday was attended by about 50 people, with many climbing over the fence and going for a swim, and another one is planned for late afternoon Canada Day.
Residents enjoy a dip in the Harold Quarry Monday June 28. (Photo: submitted)
OPP officers attended Monday’s protest and spoke with the protesters but did not issue trespassing tickets.
The Harold Quarry was dug out for material for the construction of Highway 14 and had belonged to the Bailey family who sold the land to the Rawdon Township in 1931 for five dollars. The quarry then served as a water source for the fire department and subsequently became the neighbourhood recreation area.
It has also been used as a water supply for local farmers over the years, and the Amish community fish the quarry for bass.
(Photo: submitted)
