UNCERTAIN FUTURE
Village of Baddeck to host public meeting today
Public meeting to discuss future of Baddeck wharf.
A public meeting will be held today to discuss the future of the community wharf.
The Village of Baddeck will hold a meeting at 7 p.m. at the Baddeck Community Centre to discuss the future of the wharf, located near Jones Street.
The village is seeking public feedback as to how the wharf should be used and managed.
“We need … to see what the community thinks about whether the village should continue to own the wharf,” said village commissioner Bill Marchant.
“I’m assuming the community will feel pretty strongly about us keeping it.”
The wharf was built in the early 20th century and was used by fishermen, pulp boats and cruise lines.
The federal government divested the wharf in 1999 and the Baddeck and Area Business and Tourism Association took it over. In 2005, the association decided it couldn’t manage the wharf and the Village of Baddeck agreed to take ownership.
“It doesn’t look like any major structural work has been done on it for quite a number of years,” said Marchant. “We don’t know the condition of the wharf at the moment — we’re not sure what the financial obligations are to continue ownership (at this time).”
The wharf is no longer used by commercial fishermen. The facility is used most often by boaters tying up their sailboats and Amoeba Sailing Tours which
uses the wharf during the tourism season.
“It’s a concrete platform that sits on 200 wooden piles that are driven into the seafloor — we don’t know the condition of the piles at the moment and we don’t know the condition of the structure under the concrete deck,” said Marchant.
“We need to get an engineering firm to take another look at it. (The business and tourism association) had an engineering firm do that when they took over the wharf in 1999.”
Marchant said at that time the association was given recommendations in order for the wharf to meet standards, but he’s unsure how much work was actually done.
The Village of Baddeck is hoping a group of community members will come together to take on the management of the
wharf.
“The village commission mandate is to provide the village with sewer and water services, so managing a public wharf is not really something that we’re supposed to be doing, although by default we have to do it,” said Marchant.
“I think it should remain in the hands of the village, I think it should continue to operate as
a wharf for visiting boats to tie up — there may be ideas out there that we’re not aware of and other ways to increase the revenue it produces.”
Marchant believes the wharf is an important part of the community’s tourism infrastructure.
“Not the single most important, but certainly one of the most important features is the wharf,” said Marchant. “It would be a shame if it was allowed to deteriorate and have to be closed off to the public.”
The regular monthly meeting of the Village of Baddeck Commission will also take place today at 6 p.m., which will be followed by the public meeting, facilitated by Victoria County economic development officer Patrick Austin.