Yellowknife (May 05/04) - The large piles of rock off the shore of Latham Island may look like the foundation for a huge project, but they are not that exciting.

"It's just a dock," said Shane Jonker of Great Slave Lake Lodge (GSSL) Ltd.

The wooden pilings will sink to the bottom and be used to support an extension of the existing dock. The finished dock will not be any higher than the existing one.

"The pilings are six feet high because the water is six feet deep," Jonker said.

The improved dock will be 25 feet longer than the current 180-foot dock. It will also be farther out from the shore in order to better accommodate the float planes.

"The old dock has kind of a dog leg (bend) in it," Jonker said. The bend can make it difficult for planes to dock.

The project has undergone environmental review. This includes the acquisition of a water license from the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board and authorization from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Navigable Waters Protection Program.

"We've done everything by the book," Jonker said.

All this was a matter of formality. GSSL Ltd. obtained approval for a dock about twice the size of the dock they are planning.

Jonker says the new dock will not encroach on public space.

Great Slave Lake Lodge is one of several Plummer's Arctic Lodges throughout the NWT.

Much of their business comes from the United States. The landing strip at the lodge is large enough to accommodate a 737 jet that flies passengers in from Winnipeg and Edmonton on the weekends.

Clients flying in and out of Yellowknife must travel by float plane.