Even before Hurricane Ian made landfall just a few miles north of us, Mr. Allen had been working to replace our public dock. The thing was built shortly before our canal was finished and made open to the public...more than a decade ago.
The dock had taken a lot of hard use from people, boats, machetes, weather, etc. We don't use it. We had built it specifically for the public and then just kind of forgot about it while doing all sorts of other work. The original public dock began to decline but as long as it was still usuable we pretty well ignored it.
One of its regular users, our excellent neighbor Mr. Allen, began lobbying other landowners and the increasing number of members of the public who sometimes just make a day trip to the beach. His intent was to build a brand new dock. He explained to those he contacted that since we had opened and routinely maintain a mile of canal...and had originally built the public dock...we should not have to also be responsible for a dock we never use, but that instead the work should fall to those who do use it.
Mr. Allen visited other people one at a time both in Bluefields and up and down the beach, asking that they contribute time or materials or money. After Hurricane Ian's visit the work became imperative. We cleared and re-opened the canal for boat travel - but people who had produce or livestock to carry to market had no way to load their goods. Thanks to Mr. Allen there is a new dock. (Remnants of the old dock are visible along the side of the new one.)
Not only was he successful in having a new dock built. he improved on the original design. The old dock was so tall that sometimes getting in or out of a boat was tricky. The new dock is not as tall and has steps to make boarding and loading much easier.
