Saint Andrews wharf project hits snag over infill berm issues
Saint Andrews' wharf renovation project could undergo some changes due to concerns from the federal government over its design, council heard.
In January, Saint Andrews picked a $7.82 million hybrid design involving a partial infill berm to replace the approach of its iconic Market Wharf. At council's meeting last week, CAO Chris Spear said that the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans has raised "questions and concerns" about the infill part of the project due to risk to fish habitats.
"They have deemed that it may be causing the destruction of fish habitat," Spear said. "They're not denying the use of it ... we might be able to do a project through someone else in an alternate location in the area that might offset it."
Spear said DFO had suggested partnering with the Passamaquoddy Recognition Group, a non-profit that represents the Pesamokukati Nation at Skutik, and he said they are following up on that. He said if a plan was put in place, it could be reviewed and approved before construction is scheduled to start.
The wharf project has been in the works since as early as 2019, with a $3.4 million project that was all infill approved in 2021 until cost overruns required another consultation process. The current design involves 9.34 metres each of infill berm and steel span clad in wood to match the heritage look of the wharf.
Spear said he didn't have further information, including whether it could increase the project's cost. Another option would be to reduce the amount of infill on the project, but the infill was "significantly more cost-effective" and could be built in the winter, Spear said.
"This is certainly a setback, but not enough to take it off the table yet," Spear said.
Mayor Brad Henderson called it "a really tough pill to swallow" and said that council had raised the issue at an earlier time. He said he's hoping to get suggestions from design firm CBCL, and said it could be as simple as building a fish ladder at the Chamcook Lake dam, but it's "preliminary" to discuss options before more is made clear.
Coun. Darrell Weare noted that CBCL had assured council that they didn't "anticipate any problems" down the road. Coun. Steve Neil said he's concerned about potential timing issues, and Henderson said that there could be time limits involved with some of the funding.
Spear said that funding partners may be able to "work with us" given the last-minute nature of the change, but said they haven't been able to reach out.
"I just want to bring it to your attention and the public's attention, and we will continue to work on it and have a lot more answers in the near future," Spear said.
Brunswick News reached out to DFO for comment and did not receive a reply by press time.
Andrew Bates, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Telegraph-Journal
