ST. MARY’S – The route to one of St. Mary’s most popular tourist attractions will get the repairs community activists say it desperately needs.
At its committee of the whole meeting on April 21, Municipality of the District of St. Mary’s council approved calling for tenders to rebuild the municipal road that leads to the Port Bickerton Lighthouse and Interpretive Centre, concurring with Deputy Warden James Fuller that because the site is a major public attraction, “easy access and egress [to it] is essential.”
Donald Dodge, president of the Port Bickerton and Area Planning Association, raised the issue most recently at the April 7 committee of the whole meeting.
“The association has undertaken general maintenance with provincial help over the past couple of years, but major repairs haven’t been done since the [former NS Premier] Darrell Dexter era,” he said.
“If we’re going to promote tourism, we have to have a decent road to get down there. If this whale sanctuary ever comes to fruition, I think it will be a good marriage for this area along with everything else that’s here … It saddens me to think that with all the opportunities for tourism in place, they may not be accessible soon.”
He added that adequate repairs could cost upwards of $40,000.
Reading a statement from Fuller [who was away on personal business], Councillor Courtney Mailman said at last week’s meeting: “I went to observe and evaluate the condition of the road and I wholeheartedly agree with the member of the lighthouse preservation committee that it is currently beyond simple pothole repair and grading. Sections of the road have been filled in with inadequate fill from the beach and accessible dirt, which most certainly will not hold up to the frequent severe weather conditions.”
In addition to a tourist draw, the centre – which was commissioned by the province in 1997 – has operated as an artists’ retreat and weekly vacation rental.
Chief Administrative Officer Marvin MacDonald said, “We’ll need to do some research on what the tender would include, and bring a package of information back to council.”
Warden Greg Wier noted that completing that task quickly should be a priority, “because one more storm and [the road] might be done.”
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