A different perspective of the Kincardine shoreline protection project

To the Editor:

I am writing to offer my perspective on recent and continuing concerns raised by Shirley Wright regarding the North Beach Erosion Protection project.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I wish to advise that I own the property at 177 Harbour Street immediately adjacent to the north pier. My family and I have had a long relationship with the property, beach and lake, having lived here since 1911.

Clearly, the problem with erosion has become severe over the past two years and is now very evident along the shoreline. This is an issue of great importance to me as it significantly affects my property. That having been said, I have been proactive and invested considerable time and resources to better understand what is driving the changes we are all observing on the shoreline. 

I commissioned a firm of specialty coastal engineers (Baird and Associates) to conduct a detailed study of the dynamics involved in the changing shoreline. This included dynamic analyses of the beach with hydrologic cycle data, analysis of aerial reconnaissance photos of the beach and breakwall for the years from 1940 through to 2000, and an underwater physical survey of the lake bottom from the north pier for 200 feet north and stretching out 200 feet from the shoreline (approximately one acre). As a result, I am very familiar with the issues involved.

In the autumn of 2014, I hired a professional engineering firm, B.M. Ross and Associates, to develop an effective erosion protection design which would be unobtrusive and cost-effective.

I have been working with the Municipality of Kincardine, the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority (SVCA), and B.M. Ross over the past two years in the assessment of the issues at hand and the development of the solution to preserve our shoreline once and for all.

I observe that Shirley is very concerned with conserving “our beautiful beach;” although, it sounds as if she feels she is the only person who does care for our lakeshore and beach. I have attached some photos of what “our beautiful beach” has looked like in the past couple of years.



It's curious that Shirley's concerns do not seem to extend to the safety of individuals or pets who might walk close to the eroded park boundary. I must also assume that it is of little consequence to her, either, the great support that many of our fellow residents showed (in name of family and loved ones) in contributing to the Lions boardwalk and the hard work of the volunteers who built it.


 
I appreciate that both Murray Clarke (chief administrative officer) and Adam Weishar (public works director) of the municipality, responded to some public concerns with both statements and a detailed article complete with maps and design diagrams that clarified the design and intent of the erosion protection project last summer.

In addition, Clarke again clearly restated the broad objectives of the project in the Kincardine Record only last week before Shirley again communicated her unfounded concerns. I can say with conviction that I have complete faith in the team that has been working on this project, given its commitment, experience and skills, and it is creating a permanent erosion solution that we will all be proud of.

I also note that no individual expressing concerns ever attended any meetings on this subject; in fact, I suggested to Shirley that she wait to see the plans before going public with concerns that were obviously based on little actual knowledge. She declined, saying she didn’t need to see them because she was a “community activist” and she “knew the town would do what they did on Saugeen Street again.”

I believe she is worried only about her own view from her cottage which does have an elevated position abutting a busy street and across a dirt/gravel parking lot. I am pretty sure that she has never made the effort to inquire about, or look at, any design documents or siting documents which are based on the actual lake datum and elevations designed not to impede anyone’s view.

In all fairness though, I almost forgot that she mentioned that weeds are also a huge issue for her. Quite frankly, had she taken the time to get informed before providing us with yet another uninformed opinion, she would have seen the precautions and requirements for vegetation suppression in the erosion barrier design.

She is also concerned that the protection will go almost to the pavilion (it does not) …. but not ever having looked at the plans, I guess we can forgive her (yet again) for not knowing any better. In fact, the very first day of construction, she began complaining of both excessive noise from a generator 200-plus feet from her house and fumes from the same generator even though there was on offshore wind away from the direction of her cottage that day. Your readers might not agree, but I think I’m starting to see a pattern here.

The actual construction is under the constant on-site supervision of both the municipality and a professional engineering firm, B.M. Ross. It looks as if Shirley is convinced she knows better than all of us put together.

I agree that the open expression of opinions is the bedrock of our society but I thought your readers really deserved some facts about this project to protect our shoreline.

I strongly believe that community involvement is very important and central to effective government. However, the next time a self-appointed “community activist” wants you to take action, sign or back a petition, it might be advisable to check to see if the person has any relevant facts first.

Sincerely,                                                                                                                                                  
Marcus Wadsworth
Kincardine