New accessible beach mats leading from the parking area to the water, along with accessible floating wheelchairs, are coming to Wellington Rotary Beach.
Members of council were presented with details on the project during their Tuesday council meeting.
The beach mats will provide a safe and accessible path to the water to help those with mobility challenges who might struggle with loose and shifting sand. They are designed to rest on top of the beach sand and will require minimal upkeep to keep clear of any sand blowing onto the path.
Two of the special wheelchairs are being made available to use at the beach. These will be available by request for users and are designed to be buoyant, allowing users to enter the water with the chairs, where a normal wheelchair wouldn’t be safe.
A storage shed will be built to hold the beach mats during the off season, and the chairs when they aren’t in use. Signage related to the mats and chairs will also be installed.
The total cost of the project is estimated at $52,000, with $42,000 provided by an anonymous corporate donor. The Rotary Club will cover the remaining cost.
Councillor Corey Engelsdorfer said municipal staff and the Rotary Club both worked hard to make the upgrades happen.
“Rotary approached me, I’m gonna say almost a year ago now. They had an idea in mind. They had a certain vision for the beach, making it more accessible for everybody. And the process kind of grew from there,” said Councillor Engelsdorfer.
Council unanimously passed a motion to accept the accessibility aids, and to have their ongoing upkeep added to future budgets.
