Whenever anyone says the words "Grand Beach", one of the first things that pop into our minds is it's boardwalk.
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| click on photos to enlarge images |
The following couple of photos were taken late last fall. The fence you see is the snow fence that typically goes up at the end of the season each year.
As many of you know, the boardwalk at Grand Beach took quite a beating when a weather bomb hit the area late last fall This storm took out a huge section of the boardwalk leaving it in shambles. From my understanding, the boardwalk, in general, has been in existence since the early 1930's. This particular boardwalk has withstood the forces of nature since 1960, that is until October of 2010.
The following photos were taken during and immediately after the storm. The winter fence in the previous photos was taken out by the storm...long gone. The fence you see in these photos was being put up as these photos were taken to seal off the disaster zone.
Since pictures speak a thousand words...
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| During |
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| Soon Afterwords... |
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| click on photos to enlarge images |
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| The bank at the parks office simply collapsed |
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| Some trees were uprooted completely |
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| and washed to a different location entirely |
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| while many remained standing tall despite |
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| so much sand being washed away leaving their roots exposed |
In November, and before the snow fell, they started working on removing the debris so new construction could begin as soon as possible...
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| click on photos to enlarge images |
By my estimations, work began up again early in April. They seem to using the parking lot at the channel as their home base and they travel up and down the beach. They have all the turquoise stairs stored there too, although I'm not sure if they will be making it back into the new structure. If they do, it may only be on a temporary basis. The sun dial has also been removed from the site and it doesn't appear that it will be finding it's way back into the final boardwalk design either.
The following photos were taken over the last three weeks...
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| The far parking lot at the channel |
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| click on photos to enlarge images |
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| click on photos to enlarge images |
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| they have temporarily moved the lifeguard station out of the way of construction |
The Grand Beach Boardwalk redevelopment is intended to invigorate this much loved Manitoba destination. The new boardwalk will acknowledge its traditional roots and incorporate modern elements while upgrading the structure of the sea wall.
The first phase of construction will see the creation of a steel sheet pile wall along the original edge of the boardwalk to prevent undercutting by high water. The wall will be clad with timber to reference traditional boardwalk materials. The concrete unit-paver "grid and wave" pattern of the existing plaza will be extended to the edge of the boardwalk.
An extension of the plaza with a viewing deck overlooking the beach and a universally accessible ramp down to the water's edge will replace the former sundial plaza. Future phases of this plaza will introduce additional rammed earth walls to tie in to the new washroom building, as well as a gateway feature for the "Borders to Beaches" section of the Trans Canada Trail.
A series of circular spaces will be established along the boardwalk between the washroom plaza and Pavilion No. 1. These "nodes" will ultimately become transition points when stairs down to the beach are added in the next phase of the project, along with opportunities for natural and cultural interpretive elements.
A new railing will be built along the top of the boardwalk during phase one, giving visitors a spot to lean against while taking in the sights and sounds of the west beach. The boardwalk surface will be concrete unit-pavers, which are a robust, durable, and pedestrian-scale material suitable for the high traffic of this major Manitoba attraction.
From what I can see, the work is being carried out practically 24/7. I asked one of the workers if they expect the beach to be available for the May long weekend and he replied with a very jovial and extremely optimistic "Of course!" I'm not sure, but there may have been a little hint of sarcasm there. At any rate, if it's not ready I really can not say it was for a lack of trying.
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| Lunch Time |
I'm here for YOU.
~Ciao
Wow!! I sure hope they get it back together soon but it will probably never look the same.
ReplyDeleteWhat a mess for now!
Debbie
Thanks for keeping a record of this! This is the best collection of boardwalk images I have seen so far.
ReplyDeletehopefully ready by June!
ReplyDeleteIs there a plan somewhere to see what it is supposed to look like when completed?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments!
ReplyDeleteThey posted a plan at the site by the parks office last Friday. I've tried to look for it online so I could attach a link but I was unsuccessful in locating anything.
They say the railing is to lean against so as to take in the view but I know the real reason is prevent people from performing acrobatics while jumping off the boardwalk, so it's more of a safety issue. I personally preferred not having a railing but when you saw what was "hidden" under the sand near the board walk after the sand was washed away I could understand the potential danger. According to the plan at the site, the railing does appear to be constructed as to not obscure the view. I don't think the sun dial is making it's way back either :( but I do believe they are doing their best to maintain the original look while also making improvements so as to better withstand mother nature at its worst. Gosh, we do struggle with change, don't we?
It also appears to being built in stages/phases. I think they understand that they can't keep the beach closed into the summer so they have to get something up right away. The bells and whistles will be coming later.
They are working daily including weekends and I think they have done a lot in the 3 weeks already so I'm pretty optimistic. I'm not sure about it being open by the May long weekend but I'm thinking before July for sure, maybe earlier (hopefully):)
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