Canadian city approves C$2m overrun for floating dock system

Faced with spending C$2m more than planned for a floating dock system or a 42% reduction in available boat slips, the city of Windsor, Ontario has opted to stick with the original plan of adding an additional 12 berths to its Lakeview Park Marina.

“So tonight was really about council saying we own a marina, we have to deal with it in a responsible way, and put in the type of system that will respond to rising and lowering water levels,” Mayor Drew Dilkens told the Windsor Star following Monday night’s meeting, where the dock project was given the green light.

The marina’s 208 boat slips were submerged by flood waters last spring, forcing closure for the entire boating season. Council decided last June to replace the 39-year-old fixed docks with a floating dock system.

The new dock system brings to 222 the number of boat slips, many of which can accommodate vessels up to 60ft in length. The highly in-demand slips would generate C$360,000 annually.

Staying within the original C$3m budget would have meant reducing the number of slips by 93, with an associated loss in revenue. “Tonight, they agreed to spend C$2m more to get the marina active for next season,” the mayor said.

City staff attributed the higher cost to the fact so many marinas throughout the province are dealing with the same high-water problems and only a few companies do the floating dock work.