Town of Huntsville looking at over $2 million in costs for the Brunel Lift Locks

Huntsville faces over $2 million in projected costs to maintain and repair the historic Brunel Lift Locks,

Huntsville's General Committee were advised that they’re looking at over $2 million in costs for the Brunel Lift Locks, in the September 24, 2025, meeting.

After an inspection last May followed by an analysis, consultants at Ellis Engineering said the Town needs to spend $418,500 now, which includes a 20% contingency rate and 15% for engineering, $1,714,500 over the next 1 to 5 years, and another $54,000 in 6 to 10 years for construction and maintenance work.

They also recommended that inspections be conducted on a regular basis as a part of maintenance measures, including a more comprehensive one completed under water every 3 to 4 years.

Staff indicated that the analysis will prove helpful moving forward. They said, “This is a great foundation that’s going to guide us through the life cycle of our locks.”

Priorities include securing loose bolts, cover plates, and work on timber seals, cleaning and coating structural steel, and replacing the northwest timber wall.

The Locks, which are a part of the Muskoka River and connect to the south end of Mary Lake and north end of Fairy Lake, were originally constructed in the 1870’s and were reinforced with concrete (as they are today) and re-opened in 1989, indicated the consultants.  

Councillor, Scott Morrison, expressed “hesitancy to committing to consultants but staff can’t dive 120 metres.”

Staff advised that hiring the consultants provided clarity that was needed for budgeting costs and because they had no inventory for the structure, and they now have a “solid foundation to work from.”

Morrison also inquired about whether there’s opportunity for the Town to pursue a provincial or federal grant to help cover costs.

The consultants didn’t know of any municipal grants available, however, highlighted the fact that there may be potential given that it has “structural historical significance.”

The CAO indicated that there is a Northern Ontario Heritage Grant with $110 million available in funds for development that they can look into.

Councillor, Dione Schumacher, suggested beginning with above water inspections every couple of years and using the budget to determine whether they can schedule underwater maybe every 5 years, and if there are no issues they can move the timeline further based on how often maintenance is needed.

Staff advised that they can do underwater inspections as needed “depending on how it goes,” however, they can do the above ground checks “to keep costs down.”

They added that next steps will involve them investigating “further contributions to [the] assets” and seeking Council direction about those recommendations based on the feedback from the study.