At its June 28 meeting, Huntsville council unanimously approved buoyant lifesaving devices and corresponding signage to be located at the Port Sydney and Hutcheson beaches.
The move comes on the heels of a presentation to general committee in May in which Port Sydney resident Kailey Richter and her friend Jo-Anne McCarthy urged council to install a lifesaving device at the village beach, noting the drowning of a man who had tried to rescue a swimmer in distress in Bracebridge the previous year. At that meeting, Richter told committee that her initial request to the municipality had been denied — she had been informed it would set a precedent for all other public access areas and that staff had concerns about vandalism. Staff was subsequently asked by committee to move quickly and bring back a report on the installation of the devices.
Following direction from council to move forward with the lifesaving floating rings, municipal staff said the installation of the devices will be done in phases with the first two buoys being installed at Port Sydney and Hutcheson beaches, with other recommendations to follow in future.
Parks staff will conduct checks on the buoys to ensure they have not been damaged, particularly due to vandalism. According to the staff report, the buoys will be in place from the May long weekend to mid-October.
“It is recommended that the general public not attempt to perform cold water or fast moving rescues therefore the equipment will not be in place from late October to early May,” states the report compiled by Town manager of aquatics Cameron Labonte.
“The estimated cost to purchase lifesaving equipment and installation would be approximately $2,800 and would require additional staff resources to inspect and maintain equipment at each location,” he added. See the staff report here.
Staff is expected to return to the Town’s general committee with proposed future phases for the devices and the recategorization of all Town of Huntsville water access points. They will also monitor areas deemed dangerous for swimming and make recommendations for signage accordingly.
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