Access to Conrad’s Beach still tricky 15 months after boardwalk wash-out

LAWRENCETOWN, N.S. –  It’s a Nova Scotian gem, but getting to and from Conrad’s Beach in Lawrencetown has become quite a challenge since the boardwalk washed out more than a year ago.

“Sometimes the tide is higher and we’re kind of looking for boards and things to walk on,” said Rob Spicer.

“The boardwalk, once it went out, we kind of lost about 100 feet of boardwalk so it can be really bad.”

Share this on X Click to share quote on X: "The boardwalk, once it went out, we kind of lost about 100 feet of boardwalk so it can be really bad."

READ MORE: Provincial Parks along Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore set to get a big boost

The beach is a popular spot for locals and visitors to travel to year round.

“I’m here every day walking my dog and myself and I mean, we manage, but it’s been difficult since the boardwalk blew away,” said Heather Fiske.

The boardwalk runs through a sensitive ecosystem, which is a nesting site for the piping plover and home to many other species of wildlife.

In order to access the beach without the boardwalk, people now have to trample through a marshy area.

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“We’re walking through the area that’s supposed to be protected, which is where the birds are. They’re not nesting this time of year, but putting trails through there, it’s not ideal,” added Fiske.

Share this on X Click to share quote on X: "We're walking through the area that's supposed to be protected, which is where the birds are. They're not nesting this time of year, but putting trails through there, it's not ideal," added Fiske.

In August, the Nova Scotia government announced it was providing funding for upgrades to a number of beaches along the Eastern Shore, including Conrad’s Beach.

So far, nothing has been done to repair the boardwalk at Conrad’s.

“We are already waiting more than six months since they allocated the funds. I think it’s part of the Big Lift, they don’t want it finished before 2017,” said Wim Waltman as he walked his three dogs.

A tender to repair the boardwalk was finally awarded in December. The work is supposed to be done by the end of February, but with winter now officially upon us, the area’s councillor is trying to be optimistic but concerned the work won’t be complete in time.

“It was un-repaired all last year and now for the tender to finally be called, it’s welcome news and hopefully it will be ready for the upcoming spring and summer,” said David Hensbee.

For their part, the Department of Natural Resources says they expect the repairs to take a month or two, depending on weather conditions. They hope to to begin upgrades to the boardwalk at Conrad’s Beach “any day now.”