The North Thormanby Community Association says Vaucroft dock is essential for those living on and visiting the island.
Association members Robert Waldron, Don Haslam and Peter Phillips addressed the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) infrastructure services committee on Jan. 18 to request the dock be repaired.
A major inspection and engineering review found the dock needs several repairs, including the replacement of its float.
The cost is estimated at $450,000, and was included in the first round of the SCRD budget.
The committee also discussed a publicly available report on the long-term outlook of SCRD ports. The SCRD owns and operates nine docks, which have an estimated replacement value of $9.18 million. Between 2000 and 2004, the federal government divested the docks to the SCRD with a one-time payment of $1.2 million.
The report found that there is an escalating cost to maintain the docks and estimates “an average annual capital investment of $370,000 adjusted for inflation going forward” will be needed to maintain them.
“This outlook is not a great outlook,” said director Ian Winn for Area F, which has seven of the nine ports. “My worst-case expectation of the future financial burden of this function to the SCRD taxpayers is probably going to be realized.” He called it one of the “worst deals we ever got into at the SCRD.”
