“My month of May was basically a write off,” explained Charlie’s Bait owner Charlie Goode, leaning over a tank full of recently trapped leeches. “We sure have felt the effect of the flooding in the area. There’s been a lot less traffic coming here. It’s as if we’re a season behind.”
The Rockland business, which Goode operates out of his garage, is mere minutes from Du Moulin Park, where the city’s boat launch is located. Although it’s usually buzzing with movement at this time of year, a short walk to the park reveals that it’s mostly vacant, least for a handful of residents enjoying their lunch on picnic tables.
City staff are hard at work clearing the park of various debris, such as branches and litter, all brought onto the lawn by the recent flooding. The boat launch had remained closed for several week. Clarence-Rockland officials stipulated, through a press release, “that it would remain closed to ensure everyone’s safety (…) until a thorough inspection can be conducted, once the water level recedes and that flood debris are cleared from the parking area.”
The City later reopened the ramp on June 12.
