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Marina Advisory Committee asking council to stick with its original plan to expand marina

THUNDER BAY -- The city should stick with its original plan to expand the waterfront marina its advisory council says.
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Marina Advisory Committee chair Larry Krawchuck (Jamie Smith, tbnewswatch.com)

THUNDER BAY -- The city should stick with its original plan to expand the waterfront marina its advisory council says.

A group of volunteers, the Marina Advisory Committee wants the city to build a 180-slip marina in the tugboat basin, a modified idea originally in the city's plans until archaeological concerns raised cost issues.

A waterfront plan to council Monday night said building a full-service marina in the basin would cost around $91,000 per slip and recommends that the city look at other locations. But committee chair Larry Krawchuck said a look into the archaeological study shows items like toilet stems, office chairs and debris from demolitions.

"It's doubtful that any of these materials hold any significant historical value," he said.

The basin wouldn't need dredging under the 180-slip plan, originally 300 slips were to be built, and the archaeological areas could be left as-is Krawchuck said.

The need for a breakwater also raised cost issues. But the group says new technology in wave attenuators is used all over the globe in ocean ports and can be a lower-cost and eco-friendly alternative to conventional methods, something that the city should consider.

Coun. Iain Angus, a member of the waterfront development committee, said perhaps the committee was a bit scared off by the potential for archaeological costs.

The waterfront plan was brought to council as a first report. A tour of the sites is planned for Tuesday morning and a public meeting will be held before the report heads back to council at the end of August.





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