MUSKOKA SUN — As Lake of Bays cracks down on overnight docking, Bracebridge councillors are looking at opening up some docks in order to draw more visitors to downtown businesses.
Boaters may soon be able to dock their boats overnight at Bracebridge Bay, the park located at the base of the downtown waterfall.
Councillors approved the idea of allowing boats to dock on the downtown side of the park between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. during a general committee meeting on May 29. Chief bylaw officer Scott Stakiw said that if approved, the new rules for boat parking will mean boaters won’t have to worry about having to drive their boats after drinking at area bars.
“The reason, as I understood, council wanted me to look at this is to facilitate people coming into the downtown area, being able to leave their boats there … without having to worry about trying to operate their boat afterwards,” he said.
Stakiw said it’s difficult to gauge how many boats would take advantage of the new parking provisions, but he imagines that more than a dozen boats could fit into the available space, depending on their sizes. He said he’s never seen more than four or six boats docked there at a time. If approved, boaters would be able to park their boats for a full 24-hour period. The proposed rules do not apply to the docks at Kelvin Grove Park, on the south side of the bay.