The pier in Port Stanley will soon welcome beach-goers to take a stroll again - 16 years after it was closed to the public following three deaths.
The Municipality of Central Elgin has announced the plan and construction to revitalize the pier is expected to begin in just a few days.
The pier was fenced up and closed to the public after the deaths of three young men in two separate incidents in 1998.
David Marr, Central Elgin's deputy mayor, says the young men haven't been forgotten, but they want to make the pier accessible again.
However, new safeguards, from hand rails to life rings and whatever else is needed for safety, will be put in place.
"We will work with the Canadian Lifesaving Society, as we do with our our main beach, to ensure we have the right lifesaving equipment out there in the right spots," Marr says.
The approximately $2-million cost to revitalize the pier will come from the funds provided by the federal government when they turned the pier and the port over to the municipality.
Construction could be underway in less than a week, and once it's completed, officials hope the pier will boost tourism.
Marr says, "I'm certain it will make a huge difference. They all want to get back out there, so I'm sure this is going to draw more people to Port Stanley."
The community typically draws big crowds in the summer, but many hope the pier will bring tourists in the spring and fall as well.
If construction proceeds on schedule the pier could re-open by late spring of 2015.
