A new boat launch to provide access to the Morice River at Bymac Park will be built but only if the District of Houston is successful in finding grants to pay for most of the cost.
That’s the decision of the District of Houston council in considering a potential cost in excess of $250,000 to replace an existing boat launch that’s no longer considered viable.
“Council approved the replacement of the Bymac Boat Launch as a 2019 project, provided staff could secure 90 per cent of the funding from third party grants,” explained District of Houston administrator Gerald Pinchbeck.
“This project was not included in Council’s 2019-2022 strategic plan as a specific objective, but does contribute to the overall priority of ensuring that we are maintaining and updating our infrastructure.”
The District has been occupied with the condition of the current boat launch for some years and began working on a replacement plan in 2016.
“At present, the Bymac Park Boat Launch is unusable,” briefing papers for council indicated last November in recounting a history of project planning.
“Silt buildup has rendered the boat launch inaccessible to vehicle use and would need to be dredged on a biannual basis to maintain its operability.”
“The best long-term solution would be to relocated the boat launch to a more suitable location.”
Park users and provincial officials have complained about the state of the current boat launch, adding that some boaters are putting their vessels into the river at non-official areas.
Removing silt every two years carries with it an estimated $10,000 cost.
First replacement plans had the district allocate an initial $35,000 to be spent mostly on permits with the bulk of labour and equipment to come via donation for a new location downstream for the current one.
That thought process shifted to finding grants for the work, something that was stalled when a grant application to the provincial Rural Dividend Fund for $112,810 was rejected and the district’s initial $35,000 was spent on general maintenance and safety improvements at parks elsewhere.
The district did put out a request for quotes for actual construction work and one bid of $137,658.64 was received. It, however, did not include engineering costs.
A revised budget was then developed with a complete project cost tagged at $261,000 taking in engineering, environmental monitoring and mitigation, First Nations consultation, actual construction costs, signs and a contingency of plus or minus $25,000.
District staff have provided council with five potential grant sources, including the Dungate Community Forest and a provincial boating association, adding that looking for money would not be limited to the five mentioned.
A new boat launch would hand in hand with a general increase in tourism and recreational activity in the region, staff added.
Also planned are improvements to camping spaces at Bymac Park.