White Rock pier set to reopen over September long weekend
Credit to Author: Susan Lazaruk| Date: Sun, 18 Aug 2019 22:03:52 +0000
More than eight months after one of the worst storms in B.C.’s history, White Rock’s massive wooden pier is to reopen to the public over the Labour Day long weekend.
And it’s about time for businesses, residents and visitors, who have been missing the opportunity to take a long walk on the pier, which stretches out almost a half-kilometre into the Pacific Ocean.
“We get a call every two weeks,” said White Rock Mayor Darryl Walker. “Everybody wants to know when the White Rock pier will open.”
Allison Gestle, visiting with three school-age girls from Delta, said she was looking forward to the reopening of the pier, which is currently blockaded by a fence and signs warning “no trespassing.”
“We’re missing it right now,” she said. “We would be walking on it if it was open.”
The repairs to the White Rock pier are nearing completion, with the pier set to reopen to the public over the Labour Day long weekend. Photo: Gerry Kahrmann/Postmedia
A 30-metre chunk of the pier was wiped out on Dec. 20, 2018 during a storm that lashed the area with winds gusting to 100 km/h. The sudden damage by the violent storm left one person dramatically stranded on the wrong side of the gaping hole who had to be rescued by helicopter.
The pier and the promenade, part of which was also damaged by high winds and rain, were closed while engineers determined the extent of the damage.
Fixing the damaged section cost $4 million, but there’s another $11 million needed to upgrade the rest of the pier so it can withstand future storms, said Walker. The subsequent work, contingent on funding, would require the pier to be at least partially closed.
The city received $1 million from the province and is waiting to hear about federal funding.
Friends of the Pier have been fundraising to help defray those costs and have raised about $200,000 toward its $2 million goal, said spokeswoman Debbie Ward.
Fundraising includes selling 1,300 wooden planks for $1,000 each in exchange for a plaque with the donor’s name to bolt to the plank; recruiting sponsors for the posts holding up the pier’s 16 decorative arches; a 200-person, a dinner by celebrity chefs at Oceana PARC; and selling “Friends of the Pier” commemorative T-shirts and beer for the pier, in addition to the Go Fund Me effort that raised $32,000.
All funds raised are being held by the Semiahmoo Rotary club in a pier restoration fund.
Ward said she’s looking forward to the pier reopening.
“The businesses will be delighted,” she said. “They’ve been struggling.”
Alex Dixon of the White Rock Business Improvement Association said the city did a “great job” by minimizing disruption by reopening the promenade by spring and not disrupting beach access or parking. And he said the city added some attractions, including three free movie nights, an art show, a craft beer festival and free concerts, including one on Thursday that drew 7,000 people to hear the Crash Test Dummies.
An official opening with a ceremony and ribbon-cutting will be held in mid- to late-September to celebrate the revival of the 104-year-old structure, which is one of the longest piers in Canada.