KENORA — Kenora's new city council hit the ground running in their first special council meeting as they contemplated a plan for the replacement of the Coney Island Footbridge.
The new council was officially sworn in Tuesday, but met Wednesday morning to deal with than just ceremonial matters.
The Coney Island Footbridge is a floating bridge connecting Kenora to Coney Island in the winter. The footbridge, which has been used since the 1960s, spans about 90 metres in length and every November the city installs the footbridge to provide Coney Island residents with access to their properties. The footbridge is removed during the early spring meltdown.
The bridge was struck by a large piece of ice during the spring flooding earlier this year, causing the structure to be damaged beyond repair.
Since then, the city put forward a budget amendment of $225,000 to build a new footbridge through Docks and Lifts Unlimited after a thorough procurement process to build and install the new bridge.
At the moment, due to supply shortages, the project remains incomplete.
Kenora CAO Kyle Attanasio said the bridge's main floating platform, aluminum ramps, and steel cable elements are ready for installation. However, side railings won’t arrive until December at the earliest.
A delay putting the bridge in place would mean Coney Island residents could have difficulty reaching the mainland.
Several options have been identified, which include not installing the bridge this year, delaying its opening until permanent railings arrive, or installing it with temporary railings. Council ultimately decided to proceed with putting the bridge in place, but doing so with temporary side railings.
With a high amount of public foot traffic between Kenora and Coney Island, as well as city staff clearing snow regularly, Attanasio told council that city staff are advising that it’s too much of a risk to install the footbridge without side rails.
Many of the members of the new council had questions.
Coun. Kelsie Van Belleghem asked about public safety, while Coun. Barbara Manson asked if there had ever been consideration to charging a toll on the bridge.
The city's report said the damage to the bridge is covered by flood claims with the city's insurer and through the province's disaster relief program.
