Parlee Beach (Staff photo)
For the first time in its history, Parlee Beach has been closed to public access for the season following damage from Hurricane Dorian.
The restaurant and kiosks have also been closed but the public washrooms will stay open and the Parlee campground will remain open until September 22.
NB parks and attractions director Allen Bard says the cost to repair the damage will be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“We lost probably between four and five feet of sand. So right now all the boardwalks and the ramps that go into the beach are hanging… and we have lost quite a few of the ramps also,” he notes.
Just down the Northumberland shore, Murray Beach Provincial Park was hit even harder by the storm and it has also been closed for the season.
Bard estimates up to 200 trees came down especially in the tenting area, kitchen shelters were flattened and there is heavy beach erosion.
Some seasonal trailers were either heavily damaged or destroyed.
Bard adds park staff are still working to help with the extensive cleanup which will take weeks.
Again, he estimates the cost of repairs will be several hundred thousand dollars.
