Plympton-Wyoming is pushing to have the Highland Glen boat ramp repaired in time for the spring boating and fishing season.

That comes even though the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority still owns the regional park and is only in talks with the town to transfer the land.

The boat launch was closed in 2019 after high water and winds damaged the steel groins around the ramp. The conservation authority hired an engineer to look at the damage to the ramp and also the banks of the park which were collapsing. Aecom Engineering said it would take about $3 million over a number of years to fix the damage.

The authority board decided to continue studying the problem and then began negotiations with the town, which has been advocating for the boat ramp to be reopened.

Residents in the area are looking for fast action.  Brian Lofgren told Plympton-Wyoming councillors it’s time to get the ramp open – hopefully by the end of April before the salmon derby begins.

“The bottom line is that there have been discussions on this boat ramp for the past two years and nothing has been done. I am sorry to put it this way but I cannot think of another way to ask this, how long does it take this council to make a decision and move on?” he asked council March 30.

 Lofgren says there isn’t a boat access for 41 kilometres along the lake without Highland Glen. “This is also a safety issue… If any emergency came up out on this area of the lake, it would take a long time for anyone to get to a boat, canoe, kayak or any other watercraft. There needs to be a boat ramp in order to meet any rightful access and safety issues on Lake Huron in this area,” he says.

That indecision by the conservation authority and the town, Lofgren says, has cost money.

“During those two years, there has been more damage that has been done to that area, which is going to result in higher costs and regards to getting things fixed.

“In 2020, it was estimated to be $300,000 to replace that groin with armor stone…And here we are, two years later, and nothing’s been completed….I talked to a contractor and they said the cost would be at least 40 to 50 per cent higher than two years ago,” he says.

“That was basically just to do the work that was estimated on at that point in time that did not include any extra work that would be done because the extra damage that has been done over the last two winters. That’s a lot of money that has been wasted for taxpayer dollar where they could have had that done fairly well.”

Plympton-Wyoming Councillor Tim Wilkins is the town’s representative on the conservation authority board. He’s also been council’s point man on the negotiations to reclaim the park.

He agrees its time to get the boat launch fixed.

Wilkins says he, the CAO, the local MP and members of the authority met with a contractor recently to view the damage on site.

“He was willing at the time, that he could definitely have this boat ramp open in the timeline that you are requesting here,” he told Lofgren.

“I think that we should think we should try to get this boat ramp open.”

Some councillors voiced concern about the plan saying the town doesn’t own the site and could end up footing the whole bill for the project.

Wilkins says Plympton-Wyoming should only fix what is absolutely necessary to start. 

“ We don’t have to do major repairs. We just need to get it usable for now. Get the paperwork done and whether it’s passed or not passed at the end of the day, whether we pay 100 per cent  of it or whether we pay for 90 per cent, at the end of the day, it really makes no difference. It’s an important part that’s in this municipality. We do need to get it open.”

Deputy Mayor Muriel Wright and the CAO, Carolyn Tripp, suggested there would have to be some design work done before the work was complete, however Wilkins didn’t feel that was necessary.

“The contractor that was there said that the quickest and easiest and cheapest way to get the boat ramp up was just to fix the current infrastructure that, you don’t need engineering for that, we just need to fix the current infrastructure that was there.”

Councillors agreed to have staff get a report on the repair costs, expecting it to return to council for its first meeting in April.

Lofgren was wary of the decision.

“At least this is a start,” he told councillors. 

“But we’re just hoping that it doesn’t take another two years to get things moving forward after this report is done.

“I just don’t want to be here in another two years and we’re still talking about,” Lofgren said.