The Municipality of Bristol has decided to keep the Norway Bay pier closed for the entirety of the 2024 season. The beach and boat launch will remain open.

The decision came after council received the final report from an engineering firm that investigated the structural integrity of the pier last fall.

The report found the pier to be in poor condition and recommended it be closed for the season, according to Bristol mayor Brent Orr.

“Once we got the report we were obligated to close it up until the repairs are made,” Orr told

THE EQUITY following the Mar. 4 council meeting where the report was received.

The municipality’s insurance company also recommended full closure of the pier to ensure no injuries occur.

Orr said municipal employees would be asked to remove the docks from the pier and erect a fence barring access, adding that while it was too early to say for how long the pier would be closed, the plan is to repair it and not to tear it down.

“It’s just a matter of how and when,” he said.

Valerie Twolan-Graham, Bristol councilor for the Norway Bay community, noted the . . .

significant impact this closure would have on usual summer activity programming and life in general in Norway Bay and said she had already been in contact with the Norway Bay Municipal Association regarding the decision.

“They are well aware and are trying to come up with a backup plan,” Twolan-Graham assured.

‘Beyond its best before date’

Orr said the main issue affecting the structural integrity of the pier is that the water has rusted holes through the sheet piles, the metal supports that line its sides.

He said the municipality repaired these holes years ago by welding patches on, but the repair job is no longer holding up.

“The life expectancy of the pier was probably 50 years when they built it, so it’s well beyond its best before date.”

The pier, which is over 70 years old, has sustained several floods in recent years which caused significant damage.

Orr explained that as the water wears at the side of the pier, it washes the sand out from under the pier, which causes the interlock on the pedestrian walkway, usually supported by the sand, to form sinkholes.

The report suggested two options for repairing the pier. The first is to drive in new piling, creating a second wall next to the original wall and filling in the space between the two with sand.

The second option presented in the report is to build out slanted walls against the current walls of the pier, but Orr said this option would not work for the community as it would interfere with the ability to attach floating docks to the side of the pier.

The repairs could cost anywhere in the range of $3 million to $6 million.

Orr said the municipality has its regular repair maintenance budget, including about $100,000 for pier repairs, which he referred to as but “a drop in the bucket” when it comes to the massive cost of the needed repairs.

“The funding will be one of the major, major stumbling blocks we will have to endure,” he said.

Pier committee to assess best path forward

The municipality will establish a pier committee which will have a mandate of doing an in-depth study of the report, preparing recommendations to council for how best to move forward, and leading the way on all fundraising efforts, including grant writing.

Councillor Twolan-Graham said while at least seven community members have volunteered to sit on the committee, she intends to extend the invite to all interested, not only residents of Norway Bay.

“It’s a sobering kind of project but one I know our community feels deeply connected with,” Twolan-Graham said. The municipality is welcoming applications by people with all sorts of relevant experience, including engineering, construction, human resources, fundraising, and administration.

“And just people who want it reconstructed because it’s where they fished with their grandson,” Twolan-Graham emphasized. The new pier committee is expected to be formed and holding its first meetings by April.

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