Saugeen Shores councillors are looking at a roughly $3.85 million plan to repair the North Shore Trail between Port Elgin and Southampton.
A Town staff report presented Monday, explained wave action during high water levels in 2020 caused significant erosion along the 3.6 km section of the trail.
Sections of the trail were falling off onto the rocky shoreline, and the Town made temporary repairs to stave off further damage, but the trail is now down to one lane in some areas.
On Monday, staff presented councillors with a multi-year strategy for shoreline protection and trail repair for them to think about ahead of 2024 budget discussions and to consider as part of a ten-year business plan.
Some council members were hesitant over the cost of the work, including Dave Myette who expressed concern over spending $3.85 million over five years on 3.6 kms of trail, saying,” That works out to about $1,000 a metre.”
He continued, “This is an awfully expensive trail we’re putting in here,” saying water levels are bound to rise again and erosion will likely happen again. Myette shared his opinion that the trail doesn’t take in direct revenue in the way that an aquatic centre, or the Lamont Sports Park would, but noted, it generates spin-off revenue for the municipality.
Deputy Mayor Diane Huber echoed Myette’s concern about cost, and also voiced a desire to consider work that is needed on other trails including the Captain Spence Path in Southampton, and aging sidewalks and investments in bike trails.
She said, “I’m conflicted about the whole idea of spending all of this money over five years when there are a lot of other trail situations and shoreline situations that I’d like to think are going to have their time at the top of the agenda soon because they’ve been waiting too.”
Vice Deputy Mayor Mike Myatt feels the trail is an asset to the community, saying, “I really am in support of refurbishing the bank and the trail that needs to be fixed up. The North Shore trail is one of the most desired, appreciated trails in all of Saugeen Shores, that is used extensively, not only by the members of our own community but by people visiting our community to ride on that shoreline trail.”
During discussion, Director of Development Services Mark Paoli noted the work is also about shoreline protection and some of it would need to be undertaken regardless, saying, “The most important part of that is shoreline protection and it’s really shoreline and road protection,” said Paoli.
He explained, “This trail is really unlike any other trail in the community. That trail is providing a buffer to the road, and so we’re investing significant money in protecting our shoreline that is adjacent to a road that also has a trail along it.”
Paoli says the town needs to consider protecting the bank, whether or not it’s repairing the trail, explaining, “The repair of the trail is a much smaller part of the cost of the overall project compared to the work that’s going to be done on the bank to protect the bank.”
Mayor Luke Charbonneau noted the current council is not going to be making all of the decisions for the long-term work, and future councils will have a say in that.
“I think every year, as council looks at each of these phases, we will decide whether or not we’re going to proceed with them in the context of the entire budget and whether that’s necessary and whether it makes sense,’ says Charbonneau.
“I think what’s proposed for 2023 – 2024 is necessary work, it must be done, the trail has to be restored and repaired and the road needs to be protected,” says Charbonneau.
The committee received the report for information and made the recommendation that council direct staff to proceed with option two in the report which would see a pedestrian ramp water access point by North Shore Park instead of a privately built concrete staircase alongside the road about 250 metres to the north, which consultants have said would be problematic for the Town to bring to take on and maintain.