Update on Indian Beach development
I met with Allan Clarke, CBRM manager of parks, grounds and buildings at Indian Beach on April 18, then later in his office at the Civic Centre. Lee MacEachern joined us in Allan’s office.
I wanted to know everything about Indian Beach development and here is what I learned. Major funding for this project came through last year from federal and municipal governments, MP Mark Eyking making the announcement.
Allan laid out the engineers’ drawings done by Bollick, McKee and Pettersman. We discussed storm drainage, offside holding systems (meaning updating the sewer system for the on-site septic system), public washrooms, the entertainment centre, the viewing platforms and the parking areas.
Before the winter, the trellis was added to the Jack Scott building. Hopefully, major construction will begin in May depending on the weather.
We reviewed the road to the beach that will be paved — the entrance there will be better designed — the baseball field, the shelters and picnic area, the accessible playground area, the canteen area, the entertainment stage which will be moved to the right from the present site, the picnic area in front of the entertainment building, the observation decks which will be repositioned and two, large parking lots with timber curving all around them which will be defined — not just open to parking any which way.
The jersey barriers (the present concrete wall near the beach) will be relocated to divide the park from the beach.
Hopefully, the sand dunes will be maintained. These are a natural aspect of the beach and have been developing the last four or five years with special dune grasses growing and thickening there. Sods won’t last there with the salt spray from the ocean.
Hopefully, the popular breakwater will be surfaced, the hanging swings that were facing Marine Atlantic will be replaced, diving boards on the high side will be built as they
used to be, and three lifeguards will return.
Some of the people involved at present are Bobby Jobe, chair, and Bill Weatherbee, cochair of the Indian Beach Committee; board members Serella Bagnell, treasurer, Bernadette Keagan and Peter Keagan; Marcie Shwery-Stanley who is concerned about accessibility, and District 2 Coun. Earlene MacMullin, who has been attending meetings leading up to this point.
On April 19, a mandatory site meeting took place for contractors for the tender proposal. They will meet with the engineers and architects to learn from them how and what they are bidding on.
Coun. MacMullin intends to keep a watchful eye on the proceedings. She said: “This is an important project for the revitalization of the beach.”
Bobby Jobe said: “well, this has been 50 years in the making. It started way back in the 1960s with the removal of the First World War and Second World War buildings, some used as pilots’ quarters for the pilot boats. The last major building used as the town’s recreation building was named the Jack
Scott Building. Later it was demolished and the present Jack Scott Building was constructed.
Bob Mullins was head of recreation for the town at that time. Some others supporting Indian Beach way back then were Reg Jobe, Jack Scott, Frank
MacNamara, Bobby Scott and Alex Robinson, Nat Wilkie, Vince Garnier and Charlie Keagan.”
Bill Weatherbee said: “It’s so great to finally see this project come to fruition, it’s been so long coming.” Gordon Sampson founded the North Sydney Historical Society on Jan. 7, 1980, and selected the library as the centennial project out of 10 possible projects in 1985. He was an educator and administrator for 38 years, the last 28 at the Canadian Coast Guard College. He can be reached at gh.sampson@ns.sympatico.ca