Huntsville Committee approve revamping of Port Sydney Beach
Huntsville General Committee approved the request to revamp the Port Sydney beach, in the March 26, 2025, meeting.
The request was made by the Mary Lake Association (MLA) in partnership with the Muskoka Watershed Council (MWC) given concerns about shoreline erosion and loss of vegetation due to vehicles backing up in the beach to launch their boats in the water, instead of using the boat launch.
MLA representative, Dean Smales, said there’s been up to 10 vehicles parking in the water at a time. He added that Port Sydney is the only Township that allows parking in the water.
As a result, the MWC and MLA advocate that the beach requires rehabilitation to sustain the shoreline and improve the water quality.
They recommended planting vegetation and using boulders to deter vehicles from parking in the water, along with a gravel filled channel along the edge of the parking lot to slow stormwater runoff, as methods for a sustainable approach to the shoreline.
They added that the planting will be based on the existing characteristics of the land and lake conditions.
According to the MLA report, the estimate the cost of the plants is $1,127, and $8600 for equipment rentals, gravel, granite boulders, and mulch, for a total of $9727.
Smales said the associations are willing to collaborate with the Town on the project. They will pay for the plants and requested assistance from the Town for the remaining areas.
Councillor, Jason FitzGerald, said the project is “long overdue.” He added, “I think that we’re at a critical point with the health of our lakes,” which is exacerbated by allowing greasy wheels into them.
He continued, “We would be looking at preserving the water system,” and expressed appreciation for the option to eliminate costs through the collaboration.
Deputy Mayor, Dan Armour, also praised the initiative, however, expressed concern about the almost $10,000 costs and given that “the budgets are already set, so we don’t have the money.”
Staff advised that the costs would be minimal “and we should be able to absorb it.” They explained that although they haven’t budgeted for it they have discussed options with the MLA, such as using Town equipment, boulders from road work, and woodchips. They said most of the cost will be staff labour.
Committee agreed that the project can be funded through existing budgets and work is scheduled to begin this fall.
