The Town of Sidney will offer lease extensions to two businesses on its Beacon Wharf, allowing them to stay until the end of 2026 after an inspection found the wharf is in fair condition.
Built more than 100 years ago, the wharf is nearing the end of its life without significant and costly repairs.
The town decided in 2021 to maintain the wharf for as long as is practical and extended leases for Satellite Fish Market and Pier Bistro to the end of 2024.
Councillors voted Monday to offer to extend those leases by two more years after receiving a report on the condition of the wharf.
“The wharf is iconic in our community, and I think it’s great the wharf and two local businesses can continue as is into the future,” said Mayor Cliff McNeil-Smith.
An inspection by engineering firm McElhanney Ltd. found while the wharf is in fair condition, a few urgent repairs are needed within six months and more extensive repairs, estimated at around $388,000, are required in about three years.
If recommended repairs are completed, the firm estimates the wharf will last between five and 10-plus years, a staff report said.
Staff have already begun work on some of the urgent repairs indicated, McNeil-Smith said. Council will consider the cost of more extensive repairs in its future budgets.
The inspection took place over three days and included visual inspections both above water and underwater, as well as timber coring to determine the extent of decay in structural parts. The firm recommended that the wharf be inspected every three years.
The wharf was originally owned by the federal government. Since Sidney took ownership in 2006, the town has spent more than $400,000 on repairs to maintain its condition.
The wharf was once the terminal for the Sidney-Anacortes ferry. It can no longer safely hold the weight of vehicles or moored boats and both of these uses continue to be restricted, the staff report said.
Ken Norbury, owner of Satellite Fish Market, said he was glad to hear he could have two more years on the wharf.
Norbury said he was planning to keep his shop going on the wharf until the end of 2024 and he will play it by ear to determine whether he stays beyond that.
Sidney held a public engagement process in 2021 on future options for the wharf that solicited more than 1,000 responses. Respondents preferred maintaining the wharf as long as possible over replacing it with a floating wharf that could handle structures and offer access to the water for businesses.
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