THUNDER BAY -- Margot Thoms thinks the private sector could go a long way to help the city's vision for public lands on the waterfront.
A potential $47 million plan that would see upgrades to the festival area and a completely revitalized Pool 6 land and other areas South of Pearl Street, the proposal includes some private sector opportunities as well. That includes a nordic spa and cafe.
Thoms, one of many people to pack the Mariner's Hall Tuesday as the city held an open house on the plan, said the private sector could bring employment to the area and eventually help the city recoup some of the costs.
"Sometimes I believe you need to make an investment in order for it to pay back to you," she said.
With a beach and fishing dock included in the plan, Thoms said she and her husband are impressed with the proposal.
"Just lots of good opportunity to incorporate our culture and our city and as well incorporate land that is really right now sitting idle."
Making the best use of that idle land is really the point of the plan Brooks McIlroy principal architect Calvin Brook said. From trails to skating canals to a massive green space, it's all about making a more natural environment on the waterfront for the area's second phase.
It's especially important to use that natural space because the first phase of the project at Prince Arthur's landing was all about buildings and hard surfaces.
"Providing a range of activities that don't replicate what we have here but build on it," he said.
"I don't think anything is set in stone. It's just a vision for the potential of this site."
One recommendation is to not use the tugboat basin for more boat slips due to archaeological concerns. But it's also a question of whether the money to build the boat slips at the basin could be used elsewhere. Instead, Brook is recommending the basin be used for non-motorized boating.
"What does the public sector invest in from a strategic perspective that's going to benefit the most people?" Brook asked.
Tony Carfagnini said he came to the open house with questions about abandoning the tugboat basin as a new marina, something that was originally included in the city's plans. He said it's wrong to think that archaeological issues necessarily shut the plan down. There are ways to use the basin as a marina without disturbing any artifacts.
"No one has looked at what can be done creatively, still leaving all of those docks in place, still leaving all of the archaeological things in place and doing something creative with it," he said.
"It's called tugboat basin. It was used for a myriad of uses for the past 50 or 60 years."
The plan, as the lone item on the agenda, comes to city council next week when they'll decide whether to use the plan to guide waterfront development over the next 20 years. They'll also decide whether administration should use the next five years to develop detailed design and cost estimates while looking for funding.
The proposed move of the Thunder Bay Art Gallery to the waterfront will also be decided on and how it fits with the plan.
