HURKETT – A proposal to tear down an aging Lake Superior wharf that's been a popular Black Bay fishing spot for several decades isn't going down well with locals.
Area resident Rose Ann Stenlund said many people were disappointed when the Hurkett wharf, a former commercial fishing dock, was gated off by federal officials several months ago.
"We've been going there for 50 years," Stenlund, who is a member of Hurkett's Local Services Board, said on Tuesday. "It's sad — it should be replaced."
According to the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), the proposal to demolish the wharf is to prevent a possible collapse.
"The timber piles supporting the timber decking have started to deteriorate to the point where the integrity of the wharf is no longer sound," said a Department of Fisheries and Oceans backgrounder.
Stenlund said she and other locals who have gone to the wharf to fish or bird-watch for several years said they can't understand the department's assessment; people were still driving trucks on the structure until recently.
With a gate in place, neither vehicles nor pedestrians can access the wharf. Stenlund said the gate should be modified so that anglers can still walk onto the structure, which to them still seems solid enough for foot traffic.
Before the Department of Fisheries and Oceans can demolish the structure, it must consider public feedback. A project backgrounder said if the wharf is taken down, "decking, stringers, fenders, pile caps and 64 timber piles will be removed and levelled to the lake bed."
"A small amount of armour stone will be placed around the wharf approach where the last five piles will be buried," the backgrounder added. "All wharf materials will be hauled to a disposal location off site."
Comments can be sent until July 1 to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans by email at [email protected]. Comments can also be submitted by telephone at 431-335-7530.
