A new fence was recently installed at O'Brien Park near McDougall Mill Museum. (Sherry Haaima photo)
If you’ve been down to the Swinging Bridge area in Renfrew lately, you may have noticed something new.
The town has installed new fencing on either side of the McDougall Mill Museum at O’Brien Park, along the Bonnechere River near the Renfrew Power Generation (RPG) dam. A new fence has also been placed up top at the small Forgie Park above the dam along Stewart Street.
Glenn Charron, curator/archivist for the McDougall Mill Museum, explains that the black metal fence that has been installed has replaced the orange snow fence that was in place since 2021 when RPG requested measures to keep people from getting too near the river and dam.
When they were researching what to install as a permanent solution they surveyed the area.
“When we were looking for what to put there as a permanent solution, we looked across the river at what RPG had and used that as a visual on our tendering documents,” said Charron.
The installation posed a bit of a challenge in that the area between the museum and the Swinging Bridge contains some buried infrastructure, meaning the fence had to be moved closer to the road than originally planned.
The fences have several service gates, as well as warning signs posted on them.
Both the town and RPG have public safety top of mind, said Charron. Water near hydro dams and generation stations may look tranquil but levels can change immediately, he said, putting anyone too close in danger.
“We’re just trying to work with RPG to make the area safe because it is a working generating station,” said Charron. “We’re asking people to respect the fences that are there for their safety.”
After hearing several complaints over the years about the orange temporary fence. Charron said he hopes the public, including those taking photos at the picturesque park, enjoy the new addition.
(Written by Sherry Haaima)
