Port of Lion’s Head becomes more solid, the lighthouse resists

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Storm-damaged docks at Lion’s Head Harbor are expected to be replaced by mid-May now that the Bruce Peninsula North Council has approved the work, said Ryan Deska, the city’s community services manager.

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Storm damage last September prompted staff on the northern Bruce Peninsula to consider options. On Monday, the council voted to replace the entire dock structure with a steel tube floating dock system from Kropf Industrial for $429,536.73.

Le Seguin, Ont. The company’s bid was chosen over Lion’s Head EPH Tools & Machining Ltd., which bid $622,748.65 in the municipality’s tender.

“The council has decided to commit to redoing the wharf, and I think with the understanding that we’re pretty confident that we’re covered for the damages that have occurred,” Deska said in an interview.

The amount the insurance company will cover has not yet been confirmed. Engineers’ assessments indicate the damage was due to the storm, so the process has been initiated to hire a contractor to replace the docks so as not to miss the 2022 boating season, Deska said.

“We are convinced that we will be able to accommodate the boats. We may have to delay the start of the season for some of the towed boats, just to make sure there is enough room for everyone,” Deska said.

The new docks will be much stronger than what they’re replacing because it’s an all-steel dock system, Deska said. His report to the board noted that Kropf’s design is unique because it uses a single-tube design that relies on all of its parts for stability.

“Kropf Industrial is recommended because of the cost presented, the completeness of its proposal and its references and opinions on the design of the docks,” the report to the council states.

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The design of the existing wharf is not compatible with this new one and therefore the entirety of the old wharf must be removed. The more expensive EPH design is more flexible and could be built over time and added to the existing system, according to the report.

The new quay will consist of 13 main quays and 19 quayside quays.

Meanwhile, the rebuilt Lion’s Head Lighthouse, installed in the fall of 2020, suffered damage from rocks thrown at it by wave action shortly after installation.

To defend against this, the north and east sides were clad in sheet metal used for boards around an ice rink in the winter of 2020, Deska said. This lighthouse replaced the one that was damaged by wind and waves in the fall of 2019, then destroyed in a storm in January 2020.

To better protect it, the red and white structure was moved back about six meters from where the 1983 lighthouse stood, which was a replica of the original 1913 lighthouse.

“He suffered additional damage due to flying stones. The shore stone there, in fact, in the last two storms, has filled in. . . where it used to be 10 feet deep, you can basically stand above the water,” Deska said.

“But the structure itself is the strongest, strongest lighthouse there has been to date. The construction team did an amazing job. I don’t see it going anywhere.