But passersby could be forgiven for expressing skepticism late Monday afternoon, as the site on the shore of the St. Lawrence River right behind the Verdun auditorium did not look anywhere near ready for sunbathers and swimmers just yet.
Bulldozers and backhoes were still on the site Monday digging into mountains of dirt, and all kinds of rock and debris, including an old tire, still littered the site.
Some work will remain to be completed after the opening, borough officials acknowledge, including some planting and landscaping. Also, the universal accessibility ramp, which will allow bathers with mobility issues to enter the water, will not be completed in time for the opening. Hammocks will not yet be installed, they said, and the buoy lines to delineate the swimming area may not yet be in place.
David Cohen, who lives in a building right beside the new beach site, was among those watching the work Monday and wondering how it can possibly be ready for the public in just a few days. But he is very happy with the project overall.
My property value is going up, so I can’t complain.”“I’ll have a beach right next door,” he said. “My property value is going up, so I can’t complain.”
Tim Siman, also a Verdun resident, said the beach should have opened long ago.
“I’m just appalled at how long it’s taking,” Siman said. “I mean, how hard can it be to just throw down some sand? … It seems to me they could have done (the beach) part of it and opened it, and then done some of the fancy stuff later.”
In fact, the project has certainly exceeded its initial budget of $4.1 million. It was up to $4.7 million at last check, and the borough is expected to reveal the actual cost on Thursday. Increases are because of various factors, including work that had to be done during the winter months, additional studies that had to be completed and modifications that had to be made once the results of wildlife and water current studies were known.
Of course, the project involved much more than just dropping a load of sand along the shore of the river. Walkways and ramps have been built to ease the descent to the water, and shrubs and trees were planted for shade. Studies had to be done on water quality and the impact on wildlife. A rocky jetty was built to serve as a breakwater to slow the current, and a retaining wall had to be installed under water to keep sand in place.
Bathers will be able to wade into the water along a gradually descending, sandy bottom, out to a depth of 1.5 metres, all protected from the current. Land elements include a climbing wall, sand boxes and two long slides down to the sand, so that kids can skip the stairs down to the beach. The whole project will, eventually, be wheelchair accessible, including a ramp into the water. Colourful change houses are also in the plans.
A dozen teenage boys were already enjoying the water on Monday, jumping from the jetty into the not-yet-official swimming area.
Ethan Caldwell, 16, of Verdun, said the jetty really works to cut the current.
“We just jumped off the rocks and there is almost no current if you jump on that side of it,” he said, motioning to the side where the beach swimming area will be.
We swim in the river all the time.”He and his friends have been swimming in the river near the site, without a beach, for years, even though there are several outdoor pools nearby.
“We swim in the river all the time,” Caldwell said. “I prefer it. There’s more freedom and no rules.”
He’s a bit worried an official beach and its lifeguards might reduce that freedom a little, but still, he’s excited by the prospects of a beach scene.
“Do you think there will be lots of girls?” he asked, smiling.
Sean O’Sullivan, 15, said he expects the beach will attract people elsewhere on the island who have never dared to swim in the river before. But in Verdun, he noted, it’s a long-standing summer ritual.
“Lots of people do it. It’s a Verdun thing.”
