Community looking to breathe new life into Baddeck wharf

A new committee has been formed to breathe new life into the roughly 100-year-old wharf in Baddeck, N.S.

About 65 people attended a public meeting on Wednesday night and were given three options: continue with ownership by the Baddeck village commission;find a buyer;or strike a local committee to advise on ways to fund the wharf.

The group agreed to strike a steering committee to advise the village commission on next steps.

The commission inherited the wharf from the Baddeck and Area Business and Tourism Association in 2005, six years after it was divested by the federal government.

Commissioner Bill Marchant said the wharf generates about $30,000 annually from user fees and a lease on the Old Freight Shed at the foot of the dock, which housed a fresh seafood shop in summer until last year, when it became a seasonal bistro.

In need of repairs

But the commission is concerned the wharf is going to need major repairs soon and taxes might have to go up to cover the cost.

"It hasn't received much maintenance in the last few years, so there's certainly work that needs to be done, and the struggle is going to be finding the funding to do that," Marchant said.

Marlene Usher, a former federal economic development officer who is now CEO of the Port of Sydney Development Corporation, said she is not aware of any studies into the economic viability of community-owned wharfs.

She said the Sydney marine terminal is self-sufficient, because it has several large commercial customers and a year-round operation, but community wharfs have fewer options.

"I would say it would be a big challenge because of the short season," Usher said. "Most of the revenue is earned from recreational boating, which is very seasonal, so I think it would be a very big challenge, as compared to the Port of Sydney.

"We have year-round traffic with the Imperial Oil [that]comes there on a regular basis with fuel, and we have cruise ships and we have the Coast Guard and we have regular traffic."

'A huge opportunity'

Eileen Woodford, commodore of the Bras d'Or Yacht Club next to Baddeck's wharf, said the dock is an important part of the waterfront.

"We believe that, collectively, there's a huge opportunity in managing that valuable resource as a community," said Woodford.

People feel it's part of our history.- Eileen Woodford

At one time, Baddeck had three federal government wharfs. The remaining one still hosts visiting boats, small cruise ships and a sailboat tour operator with a tall ship.

"I think people feel it's part of our history," Woodford said. "It's certainly a focal point for our community, kind of an unofficial gathering place, especially in the warmer months.

And, she said, the committee's aim to maintain the wharf aligns with the yacht club's vision for the future.

"When the yacht club membership and board developed the strategic plan, they envisioned the waterfront as the wharf, the yacht club, the businesses, the boardwalk, [Kidston]island[and]the harbour as kind of a package deal," Woodford said.

The club's board of directors hasn't developed a formal position on what should happen with the wharf, she said, but no one in the community is ready yet to sign off on a tax increase to support its operation.

"That committee needs to get established and get going and then begin to look at the scope of the project and begin to build the different priorities from there," Woodford said.

Marchant said the new committee is going to start as soon as possible with getting a cost estimate for repairs.