Wharf not safe for use

BIRCHY BAY — The days of the wharf in Birchy Bay are numbered as the facility has become a safety hazard.

The wharf was identified under the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Small Craft Harbours divestiture program that is underway this year and next. It is one of several structures identified across the province.

Joe McGrath is the manager of Property and Harbour Operations with DFO Small Craft Harbours. He said there have been “severe health and safety or liability concerns raised” related to the Birchy Bay wharf.

“It’s in really poor condition – there’s holes all over the wharf – it’s quite unsafe,” said Mr. McGrath. “So as a result, it’s one we have identified for removal in the near future due to safety concerns.”

While there’s no set date for removal of the structure, Mr. McGrath said the hope would be to have that accomplished by the fall of this year. That all depends on how the community reacts to the wharf removal.

A community consultation process was taking part over the past few weeks as part of this program to give community members a chance to comment on this issue through a questionnaire that was circulated to all households and businesses in the community. As of last Thursday Mr. McGrath said they had received a number of replies, with the deadline for comments being yesterday, Aug. 31.

Mr. McGrath said the comments would be assessed.

“If people are okay and understand what we are trying to do we will proceed with the removal, but if there are concerns which are justified and legitimate we will discuss that with the appropriate individuals,” he explained. “We were hoping to have this happen this fall, but that depends very much on the community sentiment and in this case we are fully aware that in towns and communities no one likes to see their wharf go.

“We hear all the time about the connection to the sea being part of our culture and our heritage and we are very mindful of that. So we are trying to work with the Town and residents as best we can to find solutions that will work as best as they can for both sides.”

Mr. McGrath noted that there has been considerable discussion with Town officials over the course of the past couple of years on this issue, “so we are working hand-in-hand with the Town on this.” No one was available at the Town Hall in Birchy Bay for comment before The Pilot deadline.

The Birchy Bay wharf was built in the early ‘80s. While some minor repair work was carried out in the early ‘90s, it has since deteriorated to its present condition.

“The construction of the wharf is a native timber crib structure (untreated timber) so these sort of facilities have a very fixed lifespan because nothing was pressure treated,” said Mr. McGrath. “This one is clearly beyond the amount of time it was intended to be built for.”

Even if the Department were to maintain the structure, it is not useable and there is nothing salvageable to it. Mr. McGrath said it would need to be completely torn out and rebuilt from scratch to be useful and safe.

Mandate

Another reason for the removal of the wharf is that the mandate of Small Craft Harbours is to provide infrastructure such as wharves, slipways and launchways to support the commercial fishing industry. Mr. McGrath noted that the wharf in Birchy Bay is not experiencing any level of commercial fishing use.

“Because it’s not a commercial fishing wharf it’s beyond our mandate,” he said.

From the information gathered primarily recreational boaters use the wharf. While usage was higher during the recreational fishery, the information the department has garnered from the community so far is that any other usage is limited these days.

Mr. McGrath said they trying to do their best to find a solution for all parties involved.

“The intent is to remove the safety hazard,” he said. “If there is considerable opposition, or if we find out more people are using if than we expect, or if there is commercial fishers out there that we are not aware of then we might have to look at other scenarios or options, but right now from all the intelligence we have gathered, our intent is to remove.”

Mr. McGrath added this is not to say they can’t do something to appease residents if there are some small-scale users who require something. For now though they are waiting to see the outcome of the public consultation process and at that time they will be evaluating options.

“But we’re certainly not going to do anything heavy-handed or without the support of the community,” he said.

It was also noted in the questionnaire sent to residents and businesses that the wharf should not be used because it is considered unsafe. The facility has been barricaded and a warning sign is up at the entrance.

“Our first concern is the safety of residents,” said Mr. McGrath. “We don’t want anyone to get hurt by being on that facility that is unsafe.”