The next phase of shoreline rehabilitation along Bayfield Street will be undertaken this coming September, after council unanimously approved the award of tender for the project during their Monday, June 12 meeting.
The project, which will cost nearly $300,000, will address issues in an area that helps to shield the parking lot and sidewalk area of Fred Raper Park.
“Failure to proceed with the repairs in the area of hazard rating 3 would leave the shoreline and associated infrastructure vulnerable to further damage,” staff advised in a report to council.
The first two phases of the shoreline rehabilitation project were completed in 2021 after high water levels combined with strong winds had pummelled the shoreline on several occasions the year prior.
In November 2021, strong winds of 50 kilometres per hour, along with gusts of 80 kilometres per hour, battered the shoreline resulting in a significant amount of debris and rocks strewn across shoreline roads and greenspaces, undoing some repairs that had been completed after previous storms that same year.
“The shoreline along Bayfield St., stretching from Fred Raper Park to the Meaford Museum, has experienced erosion due to high water levels in the Great Lakes. This erosion poses a significant threat to the existing shoreline, which serves as a critical barrier safeguarding essential infrastructure, including roads, sidewalks, storm sewers, and water and wastewater lines,” staff advised council in their report. “In response to this issue, staff engaged the services of a coastal engineer to develop a comprehensive design for the required repairs to the retaining wall along the affected shoreline. The coastal engineer conducted a thorough assessment of the entire shoreline, evaluating its vulnerability, and assigning hazard ratings on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 requiring the highest risk.”
In September 2021, repairs were undertaken by local company Naturally Green Landscaping Ltd., in the most crucial areas with hazard ratings of 1 and 2.
Naturally Green Landscaping was also the successful bidder for this phase of shoreline repairs. Their bid of $294,715.67 was more than $100,000 less than the only other bid received by the municipality.
The project is being funded from reserves as approved by council during the 2023 Capital Budget process. Staff have recommended that the budget deficit of $13,507 be funded from the Working Capital Reserve.
Municipal Clerk Matt Smith told The Independent that the work is to be undertaken in September, and is expected to take less than one month to complete.
