A silent witness to thousands of fishing adventures, countless swimming outings, numerous wildlife viewings and many relaxing soaks in the sunshine, the 26-year-old dock at Gardom Lake has given up its post.
Repaired and re-decked more times than enough, the dock was replaced on Oct. 27.
A brand new 132-foot by eight-foot structure – the same length as the old one, sits in its place, ready to be a base for more community enjoyment.
Fred McAllister, vice-chair with the Gardom Lake Community Park Society, said the old dock was logs and big timbers. The middle timbers were rotting away and it was becoming a danger.
“This year and last year, I think we opened the wharf up six different times – put more flotation, added more structure, trying to hold it together because we knew this was coming, but it takes time.”
He said Ian McGregor with Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC was instrumental in making the new dock a reality. The non-profit works to enhance and conserve B.C.’s freshwater fisheries for public benefit, which includes improving public access.
“Gardom Lake is very highly used for sport fishing, also swimming, bird watching… It took a year or so to get it all together,” McGregor said of the new dock.
Freshwater Fisheries works with BC Parks, Recreation Sites and Trails BC, sometimes regional districts, community groups and other partners, McGregor said, noting the society put in 20 docks this year.
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For the Gardom Lake replacement, the Gardom Lake society contributed $8,000 along with $2,000 to remove the old dock. Freshwater Fisheries provided about $50,000.
While most docks installed are in the 50-foot range, Gardom Lake’s is nearly three times that length in order to reach fishable water. The drop-off is quite a distance out, McGregor explained, and the length also improves swimmer safety when diving.
He said it was a good project, with great cooperation from provincial fisheries, the Gardom Lake society and everyone involved.
McAllister is also full of enthusiasm. He said a number of volunteers and five boats cut up the old dock, dragged it down the lake and paid a tow truck to skid them on the back. Then the pieces were put in the ball park so they could be dealt with there.
“We had to get them out of the way before these guys got here,” he said of the new dock, which was built in 100 Mile House. It was installed in Gardom Lake over two days.
“It’s all about fishing. We have very few boats ever tied to it, but almost every day you can go to the park and there will be eight people fly fishing off that from one end to the other… But it gets used for swimming, it gets used for all kinds of things. And it’s a great asset.”
McAllister said he is very appreciative of the great community effort which made the project happen.
“So it was quite exciting, it’s there now, I’m totally impressed and I think the whole world should know about it,” he smiled.
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martha.wickett@saobserver.net
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