Sidney’s Beacon Wharf, the aging centrepiece to the seaside town, will stay where it is for now, but its future is uncertain.
The timeline depends on structural and environmental assessments of the wooden-pile wharf, with the next one in 2023.
Sidney council on Monday followed a recommendation from staff not to replace the wharf, based on the results of a public survey on replacement options.
Most of the 1,100 survey respondents, about 42%, want to maintain the existing wharf as long as possible.
Built in 1960, the wharf is expected to last another eight to 10 years, but repairs will only take the structure so far.
A staff report left the door open to replacing the wharf with a similar structure, at an estimated cost of $10 million to $17 million, but council expressed concerns about rising sea levels and storm surges due to climate change that would jeopardize a wharf of similar design. Council voted unanimously not to pursue a public-private partnership with the Marker Group on a floating wharf proposal.
Discussions about the future of Beacon Wharf have been ongoing since August 2020.
The issue has rallied the community, which has sent a message to council, said Coun. Teri O’Keefe: “The public wants us to take the time, and that’s worth doing.”
Coun. Barbara Fallot said whatever a future council decides, it’s “crystal clear we need something that means Sidney to the people.
“We want a flagship for Sidney.”
Two options were presented in the Beacon Wharf Committee’s survey: Take down the wharf without replacing it, or replace it with a floating wharf via a partnership.
Of the 1,083 responses, 42.4% chose the don’t-replace option, while 21.2% chose the floating-wharf option. Another 27% wanted the town to rebuild a wharf that’s as similar as possible to the current design.
“Significant borrowing” would be needed for a wharf project and likely require a referendum, said Coun. Peter Wainright. He noted the survey results indicate there isn’t a clear choice on a replacement option, so a borrowing referendum wouldn’t be likely to pass.
The survey asked Sidney residents if they would agree with the town borrowing up to $5 million to pay for a portion of the wharf replacement. Of the 1,069 responses, 47% said no.
O’Keef said Sidney is facing growing pains and the needs of its citizens are increasing.
“How will borrowing impact taxes [and] our ability to provide other things?” said O’Keefe. “What we do going forward, putting it into context so [taxpayers] can see the big picture, is important.”
Council also voted in favour of extending the leases of the fish market and café on the wharf until 2024, and revisiting the lease arrangements after the wharf’s assessment in 2023.
