Duane Hicks
The final remains of the Point Park dock will be removed as soon as possible this spring for safety reasons.
Fire Chief Frank Sheppard told council during a budget meeting yesterday afternoon that the Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program could allow a municipality that has lost assets due to a declared emergency to recover monies that would allow the asset to be replaced to a pre-disaster level.
But he has received a letter from ODRAP indicating that it has no interest in funding anything other than a structure that replaces exactly what was lost, and in the town’s case it would appear that, as the damage was done before the flood was terminal, the province will not fund replacement beyond what was there.
Effectively this will mean the dock is lost to the community as it would be pointless to replace the dock to the pre-flood condition, which was a damaged dock, noted Chief Sheppard.
However, if the dock is removed for safety reasons, the removal could be funded by ODRAP.
He noted the matter has been discussed by the Administration and Finance executive committee which recommended the final removal of the dock.
The following steps will be taken:
•The town will engage Fisheries and Oceans to determine any permit requirements that the town is obligated to fulfill in order to mitigate the risk of deleterious materials entering the waterway from the crib removal project;
•The town will speak with George Armstrong Co. Ltd. to determine how quickly they will be putting their barges in the water and obtain pricing related to their removing the rest of the cribbing;
•Remove remaining shore piling and approach as soon as possible for safety purposes. This should be done quickly to avoid permit requirements, as the piling will be above the spring water level;
•Remove cribbing and materials that are not consistent with the natural environment in the area;
•Determine the best use of the rock ballast in conjunction with the appropriate authorities. This may mean partial removal, or flattening out the existing material, and adding small stone to generate a positive spawning bed;
•Provide appropriate caution markers to identify a possible submerged hazard as appropriate; and
•Determine future usage of the property as directed by council.
