Thursday, March 22, 2018 – Port Hope, ON
Spring has sprung and staff at the Municipality of Port Hope are busy planning for warmer weather and implementing changes to the Municipally owned Marina, as well as planning for the closure of the inner harbour and Centre Pier, scheduled to take affect April 1, to facilitate the remediation project conducted by the Port Hope Area Initiative (PHAI).
“We identified the need for some changes to the way in which the Marina is operated after last spring’s heavy rainfall closed the facility for a portion of the season,” explained Jim McCormack, Director of the Parks, Recreation & Culture Department at the Municipality of Port Hope. “Staff have been busy working on plans to ensure that our Marina continues to function to serve our community and remains sustainable as a fixture in our harbour.”
Changes to the Marina operation will ensure that residents and visitors continue to enjoy access to Lake Ontario this spring and summer. Marina operational modifications include:
- Gasoline and confectionary items will no longer be available for purchase at the Marina as the facility will no longer be staffed.
- Near the boat launch, designated ‘Vehicle with Attached Marine Trailer’ parking areas will be clearly identified for vehicles with marine trailers only. A Pay & Display machine will be available for those users who wish to park their ‘vehicle with attached marine trailer’ in the designated areas. Parking can be purchased for up to 7 days; however there will be no overnight docking.
- The Municipality will not be a weigh station for the Salmon Derby.
- The designated overnight camping spaces will no longer be available.
“Our new strategy will ensure that parking remains available for residents and visitors who wish to access the water using our Municipal boat launch, and that the fees for usage remain comparable with our adjoining Municipalities,” explained C. Ryan Edgar, Director of Fire & Emergency Services and the Director responsible for Municipal Law Enforcement. “Changes to the parking arrangements will serve to benefit all users of both the green space and the waterways.”
The remediation effort being conducted by the Port Hope Area Initiative (PHAI) is also scheduled to commence this spring at various sites around the Municipality. Boaters and anglers are reminded that there will be no access to the inner harbour this season and that the Centre Pier will be closed off to pedestrian and vehicular traffic. This will include the gravel parking area on the west side of the River, in proximity to the Keith Richan pedestrian bridge. This closure will take place beginning April 1.
“The launch of the remediation effort by the PHAI will obviously require some adjustments in the way that we operate, but the Municipality will continue to strive to meet the needs of our community,” explained Bob Sanderson, Mayor of the Municipality of Port Hope. “Our waterfront is an absolute asset to our Municipality and we have worked closely with the PHAI to ensure that our amenities continue to benefit our residents and visitors, in unison with the clean-up project.” For more information about the clean-up project, residents are reminded to contact the Port Hope Area Initiative Office at 905-885-0291 or to drop in to their Project Information Exchange, located at 115 Toronto Road.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
