White Rock pier opening Tuesday
Posted August 26, 2019 8:04 pm.
Last Updated August 27, 2019 8:00 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
WHITE ROCK (NEWS 1130) — You’ll soon be able to take a stroll along White Rock’s iconic pier again: it’s set to open Tuesday morning.
After months of repairs and millions of dollars spent following December’s windstorm, Canada’s longest pier will be welcoming visitors again starting at 11 a.m. There’s still some work needed to complete all the repairs.
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The 104-year-old pier was severed in half after winds up to 91 kilometers an hour sent boats flying into it. Money from the province, a fundraising campaign, and insurance went into the restoration.
White Rock Mayor Darryl Walker says he’s delighted.
“Isn’t that wonderful? We’re a few days ahead of schedule, which is really exciting,” he says.
Although he was disappointed the pier was closed for most of the summer, he says there’s still time left for the community to go and enjoy it.
“It’s an essential part of our community, one of the jewels in our crown,” he says. “We said this thing will be back up and going as soon as we can possibly get it done, it has been the number one priority of the new council coming in to make sure we got the pier back up and running.”
RELATED: Province announces funding to help with White Rock pier repairs
Returning visitors to the pier may notice some new features, along with familiar ones, giving them a sense of the old and the new.
“They’re going to find parts of the old pier, which are going to be the first pieces on the northern end of the pier right by the promenade, then you’ll run into the new piece, which will feel very different — I understand much stronger, much firmer,” Walker says. “The end of the pier, except for a few upgrades that needed to be done, is still the old pier.”
As the pier is a major attraction in the area, the City of White Rock made efforts to help businesses near it by offering free parking and holding special events.
The city made no mention of a motorcycle stunt to mark the opening, despite one local man’s offer to do so.
– With files from Taran Parmar
