ELORA – Grand River Conservation Area (GRCA) membership holders will get some access to the Elora Quarry next year included as part of the membership.
A report on Friday’s GRCA board meeting agenda stated a pilot project of a weekday “Quarry experience” will be available for GRCA membership holders starting in June 2024.
Prior to this, those with a GRCA membership had to purchase separate tickets, for one of two four hour blocks, to use the Elora Quarry at about $10 per adult, $5 per child and $15 for parking.
The report noted the Elora Quarry can accommodate between 125 and 175 cars and up to 350 people at the beach.
“The quarry is much smaller in size and amenities than other GRCA conservation areas and a heavy concentration of patrons can negatively impact both the user experience at the beach and the natural features,” the report stated.
According to the report, weekends are the busiest time at the Elora Quarry and therefore recommend a weekday reservation program for GRCA membership holders to balance maximizing revenue with member access.
Membership holders would be required to follow the same process as day users by making a reservation online and parking fees will still need to be paid if required.
The report said there will be a cap on the number of spaces available to membership users with a minimum of 10 per cent and maximum of 15 percent of total available reservations.
“The factors to determine the continuation of the pilot program would be the impact on overall operations, technical challenges, statistical information related to GRCA membership pass holder use, feedback from the current day use customers, feedback from GRCA conservation area membership pass holders, and feedback from staff,” the report stated.
