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As a person who grew up visiting family in Midland, always considering it a second home, and spent endless summer hours playing in Little Lake, I am disgusted by this proposal.
My siblings and cousins and I never had any complaints with the free, beautiful beaches. Even when all we did was ride our bikes down from our grandparent's house on Fourth, without towels or toys, we made spectacular memories splashing in the shallow water and digging in the soft sand.
It shouldn't cost money to be a kid. Children have been having fun at the beach without floating monstrosities since humans figured out that swimming is fun!
Furthermore, in an age when we are just beginning to learn the far reaching and devastating effects of the pollution we have spread across this planet, are we actually considering putting an enormous amount of plastic into the delicate ecosystem?
My grandpa, Lloyd Delaney, spent as many hours canoeing on Little Lake as we did swimming. He used to take us out early in the morning and we would paddle around the lake watching herons and kingfishers, mallards and mergansers, snapping turtles and the iconic Midland painted turtle.
As populations of shore birds, waterfowl, song birds, reptiles and amphibians continue to plummet, how can you even begin to consider putting something as disruptive and destructive into this beautiful lake? Don't do it. Don't let some company come in and exploit this lovely park and it's gem of a lake.
Catherine Bezubiak
