Saugeen Shores Council has decided to float a loan to the local Marine Heritage Society.
The interest free loan will not exceed 102 thousand dollars and is for the purchase of a new, 115 thousand dollar enclosed aluminum boat used to ferry tourists to Chantry Island.
Mayor Mike Smith says the older boat they have been using, The Peerless, isn’t enclosed, and that means they can’t operate it during all weather conditions.
Smith says the newer boat will be safer, and the Marine Heritage Society rarely asks for municipal money.
The society has 12 years to pay the loan back and Smith is confident that will happen.
The society plans to pay 85 hundred dollars a year back to the municipality.
They’ve also applied for a Rural Economic Development grant from the province and will use it to pay off the loan if the application is successful.