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New Grohman dock moves ahead

A new dock for the Grohman Creek subdivision on Kootenay Lake's West Arm is a go.
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Once the Grohman Creek Docking Society completes its new dock in the primarily boat-access community

A new dock for the Grohman Creek subdivision on Kootenay Lake’s West Arm is a go.

Docking society president Jeff Muldoon told 103.5 The Bridge the new 29-slip facility, expected to cost $76,000, should be installed the third week of June.

It will take the place of a smaller, existing dock that hasn’t seen much maintenance in recent years in anticipation of its replacement. The community west of Nelson is accessed primarily by boat.

In 2011 the society approached the Regional District of Central Kootenay about building and maintaining a dock, but following a feasibility study completed last September, staff recommended against the idea and the board passed on it.

Muldoon says they have since found other ways to make the project happen.

“We had $20,000 in our account from putting off maintenance but needed a whole bunch more,” he explains. “We ended up looking at the whole project and trimming as much fat as we could. We also decided we needed to get as much money as possible from within ourselves.”

Muldoon says they raised fees for new members as well as annual dues for existing members. They also received a donation from Baldface Lodge, which is a society member, and regional district director Ron Mickel is providing $5,000 from his discretionary grants.

The society was further approved for a $15,000 loan from the Nelson and District Credit Union to be repaid over three years, but Muldoon said it turns out they won’t need it.

All but two berths in the new dock are spoken for. “A bunch of new people have been building and breathing new life in the community,” Muldoon said. They received a “great bid” from a local contractor and dock builder, he added.

Once the dock is installed, the docking society can concentrate on its next project: building a new dock and parking area in Nelson, near the present transfer station.

Currently residents use the city wharf near the Prestige resort, belong to the launch club, or park at the float plane dock in an emergency.

The society approached the city last year, suggesting they would find a way to pay for the dock, which might provide a bit of income for the city.

“With the transfer station moving and waterfront plan coming together, we’re hoping to get in on it in the next couple of years,” Muldoon said. “That’s our next focus. We’re quite an independent group. We really like to do things for ourselves as much as we can and we’re quite proud of that.”

The Grohman Creek subdivision has 36 parcels belonging to 24 property owners.