Richardson Beach Enhanced
Recent improvements to Richardson Beach have been aimed at enhancing the enjoyment of this scenic downtown waterfront space for visitors and making it more accessible to users. There are still improvements required to the site and the intent is to continue to maintain and improve this natural and rocky beach area and heritage building.
A BETTER BATHHOUSE
The City added privacy stalls and lockers in change rooms last summer so that users can now bring locks to secure clothing and other items as they take a dip.
This spring, the City completed further upgrades to the Richardson Beach bathhouse and landscaping, including a new accessible entrance, new windows on the second floor and accessible exterior areas to enable people with wheelchairs to get closer to the waterfront.
Additional cleaning and painting has taken place in the bathhouse. Additional repairs will likely be needed in the future to prevent further damage to the building interior.
The Newlands Pavilion also received a significant restoration including new painting, millwork repair and brand new spindles and railings.
ROCK REMOVAL
Every year, large rocks are washed in from the lake bottom and settle near the shore of the Beach. In prior years, they have been removed to help make it easier for bathers to enter the water. This work requires permission from the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority (CRCA) and this year the rock removal was completed in July.
Although the removal of rocks has been allowed in the past few years, it should be noted that regulations protecting fish habitat may not permit this type of work to continue in the future.
For more information, you can contact:
Neal Unsworth, Manager
Parks Development
City Hall, 216 Ontario St.
Kingston, ON K7L 2Z3
