Twirling beach turbines come down over safety concerns

A resident reported one of the 10-metre-high towers “wobbling” in its concrete foundation.

The city is dismantling a series of recently-erected 10-metre-high wind turbines along the Lake Ontario shoreline amid fears they could fall on beachgoers.

The turbine-topped metal towers charge batteries that power night lighting for three "gateway" signs for Confederation Beach Park spaced over several kilometres.

They were installed with the help of $500,000 in Canada 150 grant money last year.

But a worried beach strip resident reported one of the towers "wobbling" in its concrete base near the intersection of Beach Boulevard and Van Wagners Beach Road, prompting a safety inspection by the city, said Ward 5 councillor Chad Collins.

The inspection found the nearly-three-storey tower posed "an immediate risk to public safety," according to a city release. So workers began dismantling it on Friday.

The other two turbine towers are being temporarily removed "for precautionary reasons," said Cynthia Graham, manager of landscape architectural services.

"The hope is we can put them back up after we work with the engineer to make them secure," said Graham, adding the towers are still under warranty."

The turbines are decorative but also serve an important function, said Graham, since the gateway lighting is not connected to the hydro grid. "Obviously, that is a feature we would like to keep."

The towers located near Barangas on the Beach and near Grays Road will be dismantled later this month.