Chippewa Park main beach to see improvement plan in 2015
The city of Thunder Bay is looking at making Chippewa Park's main beach safer for swimming.
The beach is frequently posted because of high E-coli bacteria levels.
A consultant will be hired to study what needs to be done, and whether a dock and break wall at the edge of the swimming area should be dismantled or altered.
Parks planning co-ordinator Werner Schwar said the hope is that, by increasing water flow into the bay, water quality will improve.
"It's not necessarily just removing the dock, but actions around that dock,” he said.
“Whether that's complete removal or punching a hole in it, or removing some of it, that would be up to the project consultant to determine."
While aesthetics are a consideration, and “how it fits in with the overall experience at Chippewa,” Schwar said fish habitat is also a consideration.
Rocks dumped alongside the dock may have created a habitat for some species. If that's the case, the city may have to re-create that habitat to compensate for any loss.
The dock plan will coincide with the Chippewa Park Master Plan, which should get underway at some point in 2015. The consultant's report should get completed by the end of winter 2015.
A site visit is planned for Thursday of next week for all of those who are interested in bidding on the project.
