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The Lessard Drive node park is where the Yellowknife Harbour Planning Committee originally wanted to install a floatplane dock. - Simon Whitehouse/NNSL photo

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Plans to install a floatplane dock and small boat marina on Back Bay might have to wait until next year after city council again set aside a recommendation from city administration to proceed.

Council is still not comfortable giving the go-ahead to place a dock extension at either Lessard Drive or Otto Drive after months of sometimes acrimonious discussion with area residents.

Despite protests from residents of Morrison Drive, where many yards back out onto the water near Lessard Drive, council supported a plan in April to install a dock at the end of Lessard, which was among five recommendations presented by the Yellowknife Harbour Planning Committee. Council did ask city administration, however, to consult with the NWT Float Plane Association and area residents in hopes of finding a compromise on the dock design and to provide more concrete details as to how the project would be carried out.

Before those consultations took place, the association offered a compromise, which Morrison residents accepted, to locate the dock on city-leased land at Wiley Road. But this idea brought more opposition from the Robinson family of the trucking firm fame who owned property nearby, and the Great Slave Yacht Club.

"I think at this point we are really looking at the pros and cons of whether to put it at Otto or Lessard," said Coun. Bob Brooks.

While the association and residents met with the city over the past month, councillors say there are still not enough details coming from the discussions to decide on a dock location. On Monday, Coun. Shelagh Montgomery, who chairs the harbour planning committee, received support for an amendment to have administration finalize detailed options to install floatplane docking at Back Bay and Latham Island based on "meaningful discussions" with the floatplane association.

"I want to see this move forward but I do recognize the input from the floatplane association," said Montgomery, noting she had supported the city's recommendation as it stood.

"It seems to me either the city hasn't very clearly spoken with (floatplane association president Hal Logsdon) or the message from the floatplane association hasn't been clear."

The issue of the dock became further convoluted Monday when Logsdon told council that the association doesn't support the four docking designs in the memorandum, which showed the docks stemming from Lessard Drive park. Instead, he wants to see the dock anchored at the Otto Drive node park.

Grant White, who was sitting in for senior administrative officer Bob Long, agreed to look into providing pros and cons.

Mayor Gord Van Tighem said the dock probably won't be constructed until at least next spring now.

"Council has been fairly clear that we agree with the harbour committee's recommendations, but it is a matter of how do we make it happen," he said.

With the lack of detail on how the docks will be constructed, too many new questions are being raised and that is undermining council's ability to come to a decision, Van Tighem said.

"Council just wants to see what the ultimate concept is and not continue to talk in vague references."

Morrison Drive property owner Jonny Covello also spoke at Monday's municipal services committee meeting, saying there didn't seem to be enough of a consensus among councillors or interested parties on how this project would be carried out.

"I thought there was too much conflicting details and there was a tendency to say - we will look into finalizing the details of this," she said.

Who would administer and maintain the docks, whether the docks would accommodate area swimmers or whether the docks were for only touring planes or residents were all outstanding issues that had to be decided upon before moving forward, she said.

"It didn't appear there was consensus on any of the details," Covello said.

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