Frequently Asked Questions (and Answers!)

O.K., O.K!, After quite a few years of waiting, the time has come to dispel the many rumors and propaganda about life out here at CleanWater Beach, and for once and for all, finally set the record straight for our beach’s fine history.

1. Is the beach now, or was the beach ever, owned or run by “Bikers”? NO. (Of course not) The beach was built on family property in 1960 and was run by my mother and father for the first nine years after opening in 1962. They then passed the business on to me, and I have been running the beach for everyone’s enjoyment ever since…

There was a time in the 1980’s though… My brother Dick (or DAWG!) was the president of a local motorcycle club. He and his friends were out here often, enjoying the “atmosphere” and being with their families. But you know they were always out here whenever our small crew (at the time) needed a little extra help. Thanks Dick, we miss you… He died in a motorcycle accident in 1987, on his was to meet his friends.

Less than 2% of our customers are true “Bikers”… The rest are either cycle enthusiasts or just ordinary fun-loving people like you and I.

2. Has the Beach ever been closed due to e-coli? NO. In the year 2000 the news media used our historical name, "Heath Beach", and associated it with the beach "Blossom Heath Park" located in the city of St. Clair Shores, Michigan. This "Blossom Heath Park" is often closed due to e-coli. We have had over 500,000 people in the last 40 years come to our Beach with no problems, and have given out over 250,000 bumper stickers over those years, so many people thought it was our Beach when they heard the name on the news. It was not us!

3. Is the Water Clean and Swimable? YES. Each year we take test samples to the County Health Department and we have always been one of the cleanest swimming beaches in the state of Michigan. WE WILL COMPARE OUR HEALTH TESTS WITH ANY BEACH OR EVEN WITH CHLORANATED POOLS!!!

4. Why were you closed in 2001 and 2004? In 2001, we had to refinance due to the loss income and business caused by the news media use of our name (see #2 above). In 2004, we closed due to the continued slow business in 2003 and the property was sold to a developer. In 2005, I had re-opened because the real estate deal had fallen through. So, I refinanced again, changed the name to CleanWater Beach to avoid any future confusion, and began to rebuild the business.

5. How has it been going? In 2005 we increased business by 30% over 2003, but still have a long way to go to regain sustainability. We need to continue this growth pace if we are to reach the number of members we had during the 1990’s.

6. Is the property still for sale? YES. Even though Michigan’s economy is not doing well, we are in one of the fastest growing areas in the state. We are near Ann Arbor and just off US-23, which many are calling a new high tech corridor… and we’re just one exit north of Michigan’s #1 tourist attraction - Cabella’s.

7. How much longer will the Beach stay Open? It is partially up to you. As long as I can do well financially I will try to keep it Open. For the most part, I enjoy running the Beach and look forward each summer to seeing each of you and meeting new people. Realistically though, it will probably be sold sometime in the next 1 to 5 years. The better the Beach does business-wise, the less incentive I have to sell. So, come often and bring friends.

Hope this Helps!

Chuck.