Get rid of the lagoon.

Put up more signs warning swimmers of the risks.

Clean out the weeds at the bottom.

Those were the ideas that came from the public at Monday night's council meeting in the Village of Harrison.

The gallery and entranceway of the Village office was packed with people wanting answers about the lagoon.

And much of the question period was spent talking about the death of Devin McClelland-Begon, from how it could have been prevented, to how the closure of the beach was handled.

While council has decided to not comment at length on the drowning death of the teen, they did field some questions from the public, and offered some insight as to how they are dealing with the incident.

Many people in attendance offered ideas on how to fix the lagoon, even suggesting that the entire beach front become more like Rendall Park, opening right out to the lake.

But Councillor Dave Kenyon said it’s too early to make any rash decisions on the fate of the lagoon.

“We can’t jump up and do anything immediate,” he said. “First we have to talk to people and find out what can be done.”

Council mentioned having a safety audit conducted in the future, but nothing specific was decided at the meeting. While some people in attendance suggested that more signage might help, and were questioning the removal of some signs closer to the parking areas, Kenyon said that signage won’t stop people from doing what they want to do.

“There was a sign less than 15 ft away from (where McClelland-Begon drowned),” he said. “Signs don’t work.”

When someone suggested the lagoon be removed and the entire beachfront lead to the lake, Kenyon answered that it is not time for a “quick fix.”

“It has got to be done right,” he said. The council is waiting for a coroner’s report before making any public comment on his death.

However, after all the questions were asked, Mayor Ken Becotte also spoke on the issue.

“It is unfortunate and we should be doing whatever we can be doing as a community,” he said, whether that be educating the public or something more concrete.

But he made the point that at the same time, just as many, if not more, young men are killed on East Harrison Road each tourist season

“And I don’t see anyone trying to shut that down,” he said.

Councillor Bob Perry mentioned during the meeting that the emergency responders should be commended for their hard work from the minute the call came in on Sunday afternoon, including the RCMP and their dive team, Kent Harrison Search and Rescue, the ambulance and fire departments.