Floating dock use subject of Granville Ferry public input sessions
The future use, safety, and promotion of a soon-to-be-built floating dock system and boat launch at the causeway here will be topics of discussion March 30 during a public meeting at the community hall.
The Annapolis Royal Wharf Association and the County of Annapolis are partners in the Granville Ferry project and are asking the public to help name the installation that will also include a park-like setting and parking.
Annapolis County Recreation director Debra Ryan said the meeting is basically a series of questions about rules, concerns, opportunities, and promotion of the Annapolis River and creation of more recreational opportunities. A second meeting is planned for April 13.
Adrian Nette, president of the wharf association, will be at the meetings with drawings and will speak about the project.
“Our Annapolis Royal Wharf Association project at the causeway is pretty simple,” said association secretary Jane Nicholson. “We are just formalizing the old informal use of the waterfront at that location.”
Easy Access
The floating dock will be on the north side of the river east of the causeway, giving boaters easy access to the river near the tidal power plant and the opportunity for a meandering voyage upriver to Bridgetown where another floating dock system was installed at Jubliee Park last fall.
“Our project includes a new waterfront staging deck and bridge to a floating dock and improved boat launch, along with pathways linking the waterfront and shoreline to the parking lot,” said Nicholson. “This means access to the Annapolis River will be improved for everything -- recreational boating and fishing, community events, and emergency rescue.”
The county held similar meetings about the floating dock in Bridgetown recently.
“There were two reactions. People were very pleased with the fact that this happened as quick as it did and that the facility is as extensive as it is, and were very eager to give feedback in terms of this,” said Ryan about those earlier sessions. “One of the outcomes of this is that they would like to have a ‘Friends of Jubilee Park’ to monitor it, and to recommend any future rules to council.”
The county has a lot of information in terms of rules of use, and her department has compiled a list of recommendations for council in terms of the operation of that facility in Jubilee Park. Council should receive that list in April.
While the county can’t control what happens on the river, they can have rules in and around the floating docks, and they will recommend ‘no wake zones’ to council, a rule that already applies at the county’s beachside park at Raven Haven on Sandy Bottom Lake.
The Project
Development activities at Granville Ferry include improvements to the roadway leading to the boat launch and emergency rescue access; improvements to the parking area to accommodate vehicles, including boat trailers; installation of a boat launch ramp, mooring and floating docks, and landscaping and interpretive signage.
“Our project has received funding from the federal government, the Province of Nova Scotia, the County of Annapolis, and private donors,” said Nicholson. “It has received in-kind support from the Town of Annapolis Royal and our organization. It is truly a community project.”
All told the project rings in at $173,452 with $93,432 coming from ACOA’S Innovative Communities Fund, a $35,000 contribution from Nova Scotia Communities, Culture and Heritage, and a combined $45,020 contribution from the Nicholson Foundation, the Annapolis Royal Wharf Association, and Jost Architects Ltd. Annapolis Royal will help with maintenance of what will ultimately be a county facility.
Details
The public meetings will be held March 30 and April 13 at the Granville Ferry Community Hall located at 5352 Granville Road. Both sessions start at 7 p.m.