When Kevin Cruise heard Swift Rapids Road would be closed to vehicles, a wave of nostalgia swept over the Barrie man.
Cruise grew up in Orillia and has fond childhood memories of camping in the area with his family.
“We didn’t have a lot of money when I was growing up. When other people were going to Florida, we grabbed our tents and went to Swift Rapids,” he said.
Orillia Power and the County of Simcoe announced last month a gate would be installed at Swift Rapids Road after concerns about illegal dumping, off-road vehicles damaging the road and unsafe hunting in the area.
“Everybody got spooked about the gate,” Cruise said. “That place has a lot of meaning to a lot of people. We figured, ‘There’s got to be something we can do.’”
So, he started a Facebook group. After about two weeks, more than 250 people had joined. That’s when Cruise suggested a community cleanup of the area.
He contacted the county and Severn Township, which provided large bins, trucks and a loader to help with the effort.
During a rainy day last weekend, about 50 people showed up to help.
“That was heartwarming,” he said, noting the volunteers included everyone from children to seniors. “It was amazing to see everyone come together. They kept thanking me for putting this together and I said, ‘I couldn’t do this without all of you.’”
Cruise understands the concerns about what has been happening in the area, but he’s not sure a locked gate is the best solution. (The gate has been installed, but it has not yet been locked.)
“That doesn’t stop the guns and that doesn’t stop the four-wheelers,” he said.
There has been some discussion among members of the Facebook group about pitching in funds to install hidden trail cameras to catch the culprits, he said. In the meantime, they’re visiting the site regularly to clean up and watch for suspicious activity.
“We’re all on the same page that it’s kind of a disaster,” Cruise said.
