Meaford council has passed a recommendation to provide pre-budget approval for 12 new finger docks.
A report from Meaford CAO Rob Armstrong was brought to council during their meeting on Jan. 17 recommending the approval on Dock A for the amount of $90,000.
Included in the recommendation was to also authorize the treasurer to transfer over $15,000 from the harbour reserve for the supply and installation of the docks as well as award the tender for the work to Kropf Industrial for over $105,000.
The report says over the past number of years the municipality created a dock replacement program to ensure sustainability for the harbour guests. It adds the finger docks are currently over 25-years-old and have gone over their life expectancy.
There are a total of 60 finger docks connected to the A dock structure and 37 of them have been replaced in the last four years. The remaining 23 finger docks will be addressed in the 2022 budget.
To maximize the grant funding opportunities, the project has been divided into two separate projects in 2022.
Meaford’s 2022 Parks & Facilities Services Tax Supported Capital draft budget has identified funding for the replacement of 12 finger docks in connection to the A dock.
$35,000 in federal grant funding has been approved from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans when the project is completed by March 31.
The replacements of the finger docks will be 30 feet in length and four feet in width.
The report says the project will begin immediately with the docks being delivered and placed at the site no later than March 28.