Lakeshore Advance, 2013-01-23, Page 22 Lakeshore Advance • Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Lambton Shores: Local cost benefit charge to offset costs in the works
Lynda HIIIman-Rapley
Lakeshore Advance
A local benefit charge is the
plan to offset costs for the Grand
Bend and Port Franks harbours.
Rob Taggert from the Grand
Bend Cruising Club came to
Lambton Shores council last
week to talk about the ever-
increasing issue of safety in the
local harbor and river.
"As you are most likely aware
we are currently experiencing
historic low levels in the Great
Lakes. 'Ihe low water levels com-
bined with the lack of dredging
in the Grand Bend harbor and
river are serious safety issues for
boaters. This past season saw
numerous groundings; some
resulting in minor damage and
others more severe results," said
'1 aaggert.
Taggert explained that while
other harbors and ports along
the Lake I luron shoreline dredge
on a yearly basis, no dredging has
taken place in (rand Bend in
many years. "'tile consensus from
the Canadian and United States
boating communities is that
(rand Bend is off the list of "Ports
of Call" for tear of problems due
to the water depth," he told
council.
"Our harbor is a very diverse
and lucrative source of revenue
generation for private business,
and all levels of governments.
Local business depends on the
tourism revenue generated as a
result of the proximity to local
retailers, restaurants, and marine
related services compared to
other harbors. We think council
would agree this issue needs to
be addressed immediately to
prevent any further revenue
loss."
it has been discussed that
(rand Bend has one of the great-
est beachfront s in the Great
Lakes but we prevent its accessi-
bility to transient and local boat-
ers. 1 laving said that, there have
been (many complaints that the
transient docks and washroom
facilities require refurbishing to
compliment the stunning beach-
front improvements. "The cur-
rent facilities available to Iran -
51en1 boaters do not promote the
image that Grand Bend is a desir-
able place to visit and ultimately,
we are turning away transient
marine traffic,„ said Taggert.
The Cruising (:tub wants to
know, "in the interest of pre-
venting any more boating com-
munities and tourism froin leav-
ing or bypassing (rand Bend,” if
there is a plan to address these
issues in the short terra. "What is
council's long terns commitment
271i Maud Grand Bad
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January 2013 photos of Grand Bend's harbour.
to the harbour?" they asked.
"Council needs to ensure that a por-
tion of revenues generated from the har-
bour are reinvested back into the port,
and put in place a sustalnment plan and
budget for any necessary future actions
or requirements.
Brent Kintner, Director ofCommunity
Services agrees and that both harbours;
Grand Bend and Port Franks are
effected.
"Presently Council is considering two
distinct matters that are very much sim-
ilar and at times get confused for one
another," said Kintner. The first is the
review of the annual dredging program
completed for recreational boating pur-
poses in each harbour.
The second smatter presently under
consideration is river maintenance work
upstream of the municipal marina in
Port Franks for the purposes of ice
management.
Late last year councilor Dave Maguire
asked that staff be directed to prepare a
report on solutions to better maitntain
harbour depths in both Port Franks and
(rand Bend, be it through discussions
with the appropriate government agen-
cies to modify existing harbours, or to
examine erecting break -walls outside
the harbours to reduce wave action and
lateral drift of sand from northern areas
of Grand Bend and Port Franks har-
bours. And the municipality of Lambton
Shores completes an annual harbour
depth maintenance programs for both
the (rand Bend and Port Franks
harbours.
Kintner says in both locations the
maintenance area of the river is Feder-
ally owned, and in (rand Bend the
marina building and a portion of the riv-
erfront are also Federally owned. The
harbour depth maintenance program is
a voluntary program that is completed
by the municipality to ensure that the
municipal marinas remain operable.
"'There is no legislation that requires
the municipality 10 complete this work,
and if the municipality was to discon-
tinue its dredging efforts the work would
need to be picked up by another river
based marina or it
would not be completed," he said.
David Bannistet
'Ihe municipality pays a fee for service
to Mitoi Works for propwashing, with
the average annual cost of the contract
$58,360 (including taxes). 'Ihe cost of the
forthcoming 2013 and 2011 mainte-
nance contact totals $59,890.0(1 and
$61,020.00 (including taxes) respec-
tively. 'Ihe (rand Bend marina building
is Federally owned and leased to the
municipality, and 509( of the cost '
maintain depths at the (rand Bend I)
hour is grant funded. For the remainder
of the Mitoi Works Contact, the Federal
rebate is forecasted to he $1 7,660 annu-
ally. in the case of Port Franks, although
the Federal government OWnS the area
of the river that is maintained, no grant
dollars are available and the harbour
business unit funds the program costs,
in addition annually the municipality
retains a separate excavating
contractor to conduct spot dredging
in the Ausable River in Port Franks up
stream of the prop washing area to the
municipal marina to maintain channel
depths. Staff complete soundings of the
riv('t'be(l a11)(i each year areas with a sig-
nificant accumulation of sand and silt
are excavated. 'Ihe cost for this work in
the past five years has been on average
$39,518.90, with the cost breakdown per
year shown below. The municipality
wholly funds these costs.
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