Residents of Sunset Blvd along the shores of Lake Nipissing are frustrated.
Last week's wind storm churned up a significant amount of sludgy sediment that has washed up along the shoreline in front of their North Bay properties along the northeastern shores of Lake Nipissing.
Mike Schryer just moved back home to his family house along Sunset Blvd in North Bay recently from the GTA. Without any gyms open, Schryer and his sister have been getting their exercise by shovelling and removing the unique mess from their waterfront property.
"I was born on this lake, swam in this lake every day as a kid but to walk through this sludge and this grossness piled-up is just so inconvenient and it is such a turn-off because it smells really bad," said Schryer.
Another resident along Sunset Blvd agrees that it is a frustrating process. While the beach is not on their property, she says the city will only take away the sludge if it's brought over to the Sunset Park parking lot.
"We have to take it ourselves and bring it to the park and in a few days they will lug it away," said the resident who wished to remain anonymous.
She says they are getting complaints daily from people walking up and down the messy beach.
"Depending on where you stand it is mucky, you don't want to stand in it. It is like walking in a swamp and then the smell; you can just see the stagnant water just pooling," she explained.
The Sunset Blvd neighbours admit this year is worse than most due in part to the high winds last week that brought a lot of this sediment onto the waterfront.
But what aggravates them the most is that this is a public beach and a not private beach. That's why they hope the city will do more to help.
"All we are looking for is to collaborate with the city," said Schryer.
"We are paying some high property taxes here enough that I feel would justify for a city worker to come by and sweep this away a couple of times in the spring/ summer."
Gord Young, Communications officer for the City of North Bay responded with a statement.
"While all municipal beach facilities are maintained, grooming of non-supervised beaches, such as Sunset Beach, is limited and may occur only once or twice during the summer," explained Young in the statement.
"Grooming does not occur at public access points or in front of private property. From time to time, crews will pick up sediment for private property owners who make arrangements in advance and place piles in easily accessible areas. But those pick-ups, as well as grooming of non-supervised beaches, may not be available this year due to reduced resources related to COVID-19."
