Waterfront vision: north bay studies waterfront options.

• Author: Ross, Ian

The frozen shores of North Bay's waterfront may be a magnet for ice anglers, but the city wants to attract more people down to Lake Nipissing on a year-round basis.

The city embarked last year on a waterfront tourist commercial attraction feasibility study looking to attract more tourists and create jobs.

Armed with $150,000 from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, the city hired a consulting team led by local architect Paul Mitchell, to come up with ideas and solicit public opinion over the winter to shape their recommendations to council.

A big question is what to do with the city marina and, in particular, King's Landing wharf, the former government dock now owned by the city

"It's getting to the stage that it's going to require some significant capital investment," said Beverley Hillier, the city's manager of planning services.

Among the options on the table are to fix the wharf, demolish it and build a new breakwater with a new clock for the Chief Commanda cruise ship, or build a larger new wharf with cruise ship docking and the potential to construct new facilities.

The least expensive option comes in at $2.5 million. The most expensive reaches $13.5 million.

Public input was gathered over the winter from residents, downtown operators, Heritage North Bay and a variety of groups.

The commercial attraction study is expected to be wrapped up and before council by the end of February. Also to be decided is whether the city-owned marina 'should be privatized.

The suggestions the consultants have put forward include establishing a coffee shop-restaurant, recreational watercraft and bike rentals, an artisans retail outlet, an improved cruise ship operation, better beach and marina washrooms and showers, fishing charters, splash pad and skateboard park. among other things.

The plans for the wharf are being done in concert with other ongoing work on i the city's waterfront, specifically Hui- I tage North Bay and the Community Waterfront Friends, a volunteer group that's overseeing the restoration of former railway lands into public space.

Over the last decade...