by Sylene Argent
Recently, construction was completed on Dock B down at the Colchester Harbour, offering not only physical improvements to the much in demand boatslip area, but aesthetic enhancements as well.
The construction took place over four days, around the Easter holiday.
Jay Affleck, Assistant Manager of Parks and Facilities and overseer of the Colchester Harbour, said the three main docks have been replaced over the last six or seven years. The project began with the replacement of A Dock and continued with D Dock, before getting to replace B Dock. The flotation for C Dock, that houses eight boats, was replaced a few years back and is in good shape, but it will be replaced at some point.
The idea behind the construction project was to continue to maintain the harbour and standard for the 88 boat slip renters. The construction project also serviced the dock for users. Now all slips are services with water and power at all slip, Affleck said. When he began working there, over 15-years ago there were likely around 40-50 serviced slips.
The demand for the servicing came from the slip renters and Harbour users.
The B Dock improvement project was added to the 2021 Budget, with a total of $177,000. He suspects the total costs of the three-dock replacement projects over the past seven or so years totalled around $650,000.
“We are completely booked,” Affleck said of the seasonal boat slips down at the Colchester Harbour. In addition, there is a waiting list of around 40 boats at any given time. “They are definitely in demand.”
From what Affleck has heard, boat sales are high, as people are looking for things to do during the pandemic, similarly to the RV industry.
“I have had a huge amount of phone calls from people looking for slips and struggling to find slips around the County,” Affleck said, adding there was an increase in ramp use at the Harbour last year. That increase could have also been contributed to the auto-industry temporary shutdown.
“It has been our goal to completely service all docks within the arena, and now we are seeing that come through,” Affleck said, adding that goal has been met.
In addition to improving servicing and functionality, the new docks are aesthetically enhancing the Colchester Harbour. The docks, he said, are made of premium-pressured treated lumber, which ihe said looks great. Even the first dock reconstructed is seven or so years old and looks almost as good as the day it was put in, Affleck commented.