2023-06-07

Province pledges spending on Carters Beach infrastructure

PORT MOUTON - A popular Queens County beach destination in this community, weakened by inadequate vehicle parking, public washrooms and few garbage containers is getting repairs and upgrades to its amenities, says the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables (DNRR).

Carters Beach, a provincially-owned and ecologically-protected site of coastal and forested dunes, is getting some of the $10.2 million the Nova Scotia government pledged this year for major work to provincial park assets.

In a new release, the province said a parking lot, signage, vault toilet and beach access path are identified as work starting later this year at Carters Beach.

"Construction won't start until towards the end of this season and it's to support the conservation, natural, cultural values and manage public access there for low impact nature-based recreation," Sandra Fraser, DNRR's parks promotion officer, said in a phone interview.

At the time of the interview, the procurement for the local work hadn't been issued. Fraser didn't know the monetary value of the budget portion earmarked for Carters Beach.

In terms of the specific work, Fraser indicated plans are still being finalized as to what's intended with the parking scheme.

Another beach access path will be added. "We want to ensure access to the beach that's sustainable and keeping people off the dunes," she said.

Some signage will be replaced and new markers added. "There's some great interpretive signage there already but we're looking to add to the interpretive signage and then looking at wayfinding signage to guide people to the beach and amenities," Fraser noted.

The porta potty will remain on site until the vault toilet - or basic non-flush outhouse facility - is built.

"We know that people are going (to Carters Beach) and we want to manage the use occurring and provide some basic infrastructure," Fraser said.

Carters Beach, dozens of hectares in size, is known to attract hundreds of visitors on long weekends in the summer, for example. The main route to and from the beach, Carters Beach Road, became so commonly clogged with parked vehicles belonging to beach-goers that parking had to be restricted to one side of the road. The main beach lot can only hold about a dozen vehicles.

Attendees of a public meeting hosted by the province last year to address Carters Beach management and concerns raised issues surrounding vehicular traffic, washroom availability and habitat conservation, among other topics.

Most provincial day-use and camping parks opened for the season on the Victoria Day weekend.