Council defends felling of Mercer’s Pond ‘fort’

by Mark Squibb, The Shoreline

Paradise council has doubled down on its decision to remove a fort that has existed in one form or another for years along the shores of Mercer’s Pond and that served as a hangout for some teens.

Council voted unanimously July 14 to remove the fort, saying residents on Balsomwood Road had raised concerns. An incident on June 16 when Town enforcement officers had to extinguish a fire at the site after a student apparently burnt several school papers only added fuel to the issue. The structure was accessible through a path in the woods and had no fixed address and could prove difficult for firefighters to find if they were unfamiliar with the area. Paradise is served by the St. John’s Regional Fire Department, which operates a station on Topsail Road near the Paradise Post Office.

Councillor Sheldon Antle has since confirmed the fort has been demolished.

“The fort is gone,” said Antle. “That’s the best update we can give on that. You can certainly take a look through your package and see some before and after pictures, and the after pictures look lovely. So, it’s a job well done by municipal enforcement officers and Planning and Protective (staff).”

Councillor Tommy Maher said he has heard from a resident who was not pleased with the action.

“They were disappointed in the Town’s decision to remove this fort because the kids were being active and were being outside, and I totally understand it,” said Maher. “God love kids for being up in the woods. But the big thing with this fort was that it was a major safety concern. It was built, but not very well. The main concern here was fire. We were so fortunate last year the fire (wildfire near Three Island Pond) just escaped us, but we had an evacuation in this exact area. And we’ve got probably six or seven homes on this pond that look out their windows at this structure and see young kids with a blazing fire going on a Saturday evening. So, you can picture how those residents would feel looking out at that. So, I just wanted to throw that in there. It wasn’t about going in and tearing this down on the kids, it was about the safety concern and the effect on the whole town, and not only the whole town, but the whole Avalon peninsula. I’ve witnessed a fire myself about three weeks ago, and it only takes a split second for a fire to get out of control.”

Mayor Patrick Martin and Deputy Mayor Kimberely Street both voiced their support for the demolition.

“None of us wanted to see the shed torn down, but like you said, it was about the fires, and people going in and having unattended fires,” said Martin. “That’s a heavily wooded area, and if you had a fire up there it’s going to be hard for the fire department to put that out.”