Make Victoria Park floating dock a permanent fixture, city staff recommends

The City of Charlottetown is looking to make the floating dock in Victoria Park a permanent fixture, according to Coun. Mitchell Tweel.

Last summer, the city launched a pilot project which enabled people to walk out onto the dock, which featured a single bench out on the water.

According to Tweel, feedback on the project was "overwhelmingly positive," so city staff made a recommendation to the Parks and Recreation committee to approve reinstallation of the dock this year.

"People are excited and enthusiastic and looking forward to another season of the floating dock in Victoria Park," he said.

Hoping for changes

If approved, the committee is hoping to see some changes  — more benches and a railing built along the side of the dock for the accessibility of seniors. 

"The beauty of the floating dock is you can add or delete. It's a modular dock," he said.

The resolution is expected to be voted on at the next city council meeting. If approved, Tweel said, the dock would be reinstalled later this spring or early summer depending on weather.

The dock, which the city purchased for $51,605, was a topic of controversy in the city. Resident complaints eventually led to a broadly-attended public meeting in May 2019, where comments were divided evenly between those for and against the project.

The original plan had room for non-motorized vessels, but council changed that after hearing concerns about safety and traffic.

More from CBC P.E.I.