The Town of Essex has its first resident who has taken advantage of a new town program.
The Shoreline Protection Program assists property owners with loans to help repair or construct protective works to prevent damage from erosion and flooding.
The work that is currently being done is for a shoreline property in the Lypps Beach area.
The property owner is constructing a 40 meter break wall.
Councillor Steve Bjorkman says four other residents have started the application process while 30 residents have expressed interest in the program.
He says the property owner is pleased with the program.
"He said what was nice about being able to get this assistance was it allows him to do some other work along his shoreline at the same time which he wouldn't be able to do if you had to go after it to get his funds on his own," says Bjorkman.
Bjorkman says the program is in partnership with a local financial institution.
"It's on the tax bill so, it's one of those things that you get the benefit of doing it now and should you decide to move or whatever, the loan repayment is guaranteed because it is part of the tax collection so it goes with the property," says Bjorkman.
Photo courtesy: Nick DiCarlo (Town of Essex)
He says the program has been in the works for the past couple of years and feels a number of residents will take advantage of it.
"I think a lot of people take a wait and see approach when you got a new program, something that just comes out not unlike any other thing," says Bjorkman.
The town says the program is the first of its kind in Windsor-Essex.
It's designed to replace a provincial loan program where loans were provided to shoreline property owners but the provincial program was discontinued in 2010.