Digby Harbour Port Association to end secrecy

New wharf owners to end secrecy

Article online since December 31st 2007, 18:53

 
 

The Digby Harbour Port Association is planning a public meeting for Jan. 5 2008.

 

By Jonathan Riley

 
 

FOR THE SOU'WESTER

 
 

NovaNewsNow.com

 
 

"There's going to be nothing that's hidden from people."

 
 

Reg Hazelton, chair of the Digby Harbour Port Association, says things will be different now that a community group has taken over from the Maritime Harbours Society.

 
 

The association purchased the Digby, N.S. wharf Dec. 20 from the Maritime Harbours Society, a private group that had owned the wharf since November 1999.

 
 

Hazelton says the association paid $1.2 million for the wharf—with the town and the municipality each granting $50,000. The association borrowed the other $1.1 million from the bank and through the Digby-Clare Business Development Centre-Growth Opportunities.

 
 

"We're a community group," says Hazelton. "We're going to have annual meetings and there can be changes in the board of directors at those meetings.

 
 

"We're all users of the wharf and we want it run well, we want it run safe and we want repairs done so it will last.

 
 

"We want to make that wharf something the people here can be proud of—it's going to take some help from everyone to do it."

 
 

The new owners and managers of the Digby wharf are planning a pubic meeting for 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 5 at the Digby fire hall.

 
 

Hazelton says everyone interested in the future of the structure is welcome to attend.

 
 

The association plans to talk about how they got the wharf and what they plan to do with it.

 
 

"At one time it was run pretty orderly and now we have to get back to that."

 
 

Hazelton is talking about a new parking system, a new system for charging boat owners and lots of repairs. An engineer's report done for the authority recommends repairs with an estimated price tag of $9.1 million.

 
 

"We can start on some minor things right away. We hope to have garbage bins out there in short order and do some of the electrical work, and start on the new plan for parking."

 
 

Hazelton says the main priority for repairs will be the first part of the spur where the wharf joins to the parking lot.

 
 

"The water can come through there and if we get a tide and some wind and the boats are tied pretty tight in there, it can do some damage."

 
 

Other priorities include replacing the middle ell and removing the sunken boat, the Ronald M.

 
 

"We're hoping to get some money to do the repairs fairly quickly."

 
 

Sen. Gerald Comeau called The Digby Courier on Dec. 27, a sister publication to the Sou'Wester, to advise that Peter Mackay, the federal minister responsible for Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, plans to visit Digby early in the New Year to make a "more official announcement" about the wharf purchase.

 
 

"Peter Mackay and Gerald Keddy have made this a high priority at the federal caucus and there is still a lot of work to be done," Comeau said.

 
 

The senator said that more funding details would be available at the official announcement, although he did say ACOA helped with the deal and that Growth Opportunities was also involved.

 
 

QUICKGLANCE

 
 

The Digby Harbour Port Association is composed of:

 
 

Reg Hazelton, chair (community at large)

 
 

Rodney O'Neil, vice-chair (aquaculture)

 
 

Tony O'Neil (boat services)

 
 

Tom O'Neil (groundfishery)

 
 

Vance Hazelton (scallop fishery)

 
 

Sherman Haynes (marina)

 
 

Linda Gregory (municipal councillor)

 
 

Ben Cleveland (town councillor)

 
 

Robbie Morgan (fire chief)

 
 

Inserted from <http://www.novanewsnow.com/article-171049-New-wharf-owners-to-end-secrecy.html>