FAIRY HILL, Portland — Users of Winnifred Beach didn’t mince words during a recent meeting with the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) to discuss plans for developing their beloved beach that has a certain rustic charm.

Area residents, foreigners who have made Portland home and visitors, who often use the beach, are adamant that any work being done must have community input and must not transform the beach into a sterile, generic venue that could be found just about anywhere else in the world. They also spoke of the importance of being able to trust that TEF will listen and respect their wishes.

TEF Executive Director Dr Carey Wallace earnestly sought to assure the sometimes hostile crowd that the beach would remain accessible and free of charge, and the goal is to enhance all that’s good about the location.

“We are… very, very careful of ensuring that we build a masterpiece. How do we do that? We bring all the brains together, all the well-thinking persons who want what’s best for Winnifred Beach and environs to come together for us to listen to them. To use that input, create the designs, to then come back and put the designs together,” Wallace said during the meeting.

“Many persons may feel that we are coming from Kingston to tell you what we are going to do. That’s not the case. We are here from Kingston to listen to what you would like us to do… We are taking that approach, that collaborative approach for us to leave today with ideas, with information, with plans that will create that masterpiece so that all of us here will be extremely proud of what we’ve ended up creating at this gem, this gold mine right here at Winnifred Beach,” he added.

Among those who raised concerns was Christof Brown who vends on the beach. The natural beauty of the area needs to be preserved, he said, while amenities are added to enhance the user experience. He called for “stalls to be made of bamboo [as] that will be unique, proper amenities like bathrooms, allow entry to the beach to be free, allow the trees to grow and no uniform development as we keep the natural beauty with improved roads.”

One recurring request was for those that have made a living from the beach, over the years, to have a voice in whatever is being planned for the future.

“This consultation needs to include the people on the beach, the people that have been here for 25 years,” said chairman of the Winnifred Benevolent Society, Nino Sciuto. “The benevolent society that has been managing the beach, paying for the garbage collection, we are already paying for the water, we are already cleaning the bathrooms and we love improvement.”

Resident Joan Burke stressed the importance of trust, arguing that “people in high places” have failed to listen to the community in the past.

“As the TEF comes along and speaks about the improvement of these beautiful treasures we have around here called beaches, you have to find a way to build trust with the people. These are struggling people that come from nothing, so you have to build trust. You have to build a bridge of trust and let the people understand that when you are doing these improvements that it does not [negatively] affect their daily lives and the way they make money to feed their children,” she said.

Several visitors weighed in on the discussion, and the general consensus was that every effort should be made to preserve the beach’s authenticity.

“I’ve been coming here with my wife for over 30 years and the reason I come here is because of the natural beauty, the people. Everything that it is now,” said Bob Pitts from Boston, Massachusetts. “I just can’t understand why we need to improve and develop something that is beautiful right now, natural and doesn’t need to be changed. You change this, as a tourist I don’t want to come here anymore. Because you changed it and take it away from the people and develop it into something I really don’t want to see,” he said.

The TEF’s Wallace has assured stakeholders that, based on consultations with residents, a design will be drafted, then taken to residents for their feedback before any work begins.

“The design would be guided by you,” he promised.