Sunset Point shoreline took a beating again this weekend as big winds pushed high waves over the shore and caused further erosion.
However, repair work is on hold indefinitely while the town waits for a permit from the provincial government, which is almost exclusively focused on the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a town-ordered engineer report, storm events in October and November 2019 caused more than 200 square metres of the shoreline around Sunset Point to erode into Georgian Bay.
In November, Dean Collver, director of parks, recreation, and culture for the Town of Collingwood, presented a staff report to the committee stating the restoration plan for Sunset Point would cost the town approximately $315,000.
The town hired Tatham Engineering to design a plan for temporary restoration works. The town identified two areas of primary concern to Tatham, including the Inukshuk and the Heather Pathway lookout near the water treatment plant.
In February 2020, Collver presented an update to council stating the town had submitted an application to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF), but was waiting for approval before restoration work could begin.
Collver confirmed today the town has not received any word from the province on the pending permit, and has not been told when the permit will be issued.
“We believe the work is possible [during the pandemic],” said Collver in an email to CollingwoodToday. “However this will be confirmed if/when a permit is issued.”
This weekend Heritage Drive was closed to traffic as waves splashed onto parts of the road leading to the terminals and Millennium Park.
Collver said town staff will be assessing the damages caused by the weekend’s wind and waves throughout this week.
The work proposed by Tatham engineering for Sunset Point includes reconstruction of the revetment where damage was the greatest and repair where the damage was less significant as a short-term solution. Reconstruction, according to Tatham, should include large-diameter stones, a filter layer of protective material behind the stones, and raising the crest elevation as much as possible.
Council approved the plan at the end of last year.
