Grohman Creek residents are concerned about their safety as the thought of forest fires and other emergency situations grow.
These are just some of the issues that have been brought forward by the small community after the City of Nelson rescinded the boat-dependent community’s ability to park their boats.
The City of Nelson rescinded docking privileges with the demolition of the old pier.
Grohman Creek, which is located on the west arm of Kootenay Lake across the lake from Nelson, only has one other access point, by road which is declared by residents as unsafe, even for emergency vehicles.
“There is limited road access, which is at best seasonal,” says regional director Tom Newell. “And even at seasonal it is dangerous, unreliable and unsecure.”
Finding an alternate boat parking spot is also proving challenging.
“The root of the problem is trying to establish a dock on the Nelson side of the river,” says Newell. “The community has already put up their own independent dock system on their side.”
The Grohman Docking Society hired an independent consultant to provide a feasibility study for docking facilities by road on a year-round basis.
Four sites were chosen as potential sites in the city of Nelson: Lakeside Drive, Jorgenson Road, Second Street, and Sporat Drive. “Jorgenson Landing, across from Lakeside beach, would be ideal but it does pose some concerns,” says Newell.
“The city is not willing to turn over a piece of public land for a dock.”
The study suggested that it would cost $1,730,000 to have the structure built.
