by Robert Washburn

Residents along Monk’s Cove are elated to see excavating equipment, and huge stones along the shoreline as temporary repairs to the retaining wall are underway.

Eva Hall, the person who spoke to council last week on behalf of the residents, said they are happy to see the town responding.

“I am incredibly joyous,” she said Tuesday. “It feels like it was something that was needed to come for a long time.”

The park along Monk Street was decimated last spring after rising water levels in Lake Ontario causes severe erosion.

Half the park disappeared, and a safety fence was put up. Since then, nothing was done to stop further damage to a retaining wall and the remaining parkland.

Hall said residents were very concerned about the roadway, which is right next to the park. They were worried it could be lost and some of the water and sewer pipes underneath.

“We are worried about the infrastructure,” she said. “We love our little Monk’s Cove. We are very attached to this. We want to keep it going.”

But this fix is only temporary. The cost to do a full job is estimated to be about $2 million. However, the town was unable to get federal government funding to cover the cost. It decided last week to spend just over $250,000 to prevent any further problems.

The crews started work Monday. No timelines is available to know when the work will be done.