The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

3 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,M ay 23,2019 insidehalton.com CAMBRIDGE 90 Main Street cornerstonefurniture.ca 519.740.9991 /CornerstoneHome /cornerstonehomeinteriors Save 25% on all in-stock outdoor furniture while supplies last. We carry the largest selection of cabinets, cupboards and sofas in Ontario; abundant styles and configurations that are perfect for your home, and more affordable than you expected. Prepare to be blown away! While Main Street is being improved, our rear entrance is open for customers. OUTDOOR FURNITURE SALE the harbours. Areas that are sandbagged, taped or fenced off have beenfenced off have beenf deemed potentially unsafe for public use. We ask thatfor public use. We ask thatf residents please respect these closures so that no one gets hurt." So far, the closures in- clude: • Coronation Park (west side of park closed- play- ground and parking open) • Edgemere Park • Erchless Estate, from Larry Cain Trail to Oak- ville Club • Gairloch Gardens, from the rose garden southfrom the rose garden southf • Water's Edge Park Trail, closed at the bottom of East Street • Bronte East Pier, sec- tion closed along Fisher- man's Park • Bronte West Pier • Oakville East Pier • West Street Trail, from West Street to Timber LaneWest Street to Timber LaneW Glynn said town staff are monitoring the lake levels locally and as part of the provincial community flooding task force.flooding task force.f "Staff are hard at work addressing the situation," said Glynn. "They are doing daily inspections along our shoreline, parks and har- bours, and immediately tending to any sandbag- ging or repairs." According to the Toron- to and Region Conserva- tion Authority (TRCA), the Lake Ontario average wa- ter level is currently 75.74 metres. For reference, Lake On- tario reached a maximum level of 75.93 metres in 2017. That year saw widespread flooding along Oakville'sflooding along Oakville'sf waterfront. Oakville council would ultimately have to approve $3.8 million to repair this shoreline/harbour flood damage. Glynn said it is hard to say if this year's flooding will prove as costly. "The level and associat- ed costs of damage for this flooding will be deter-flooding will be deter-f mined once the lake waters recede and we are able to safely inspect impacted ar- eas," he said. The International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence Riv- er Board noted water levels in Lake Ontario are expec- ted to continue rising until late May or mid-June. The group said that, with continued record- breaking inflows from Lake Erie, as well as re- ceived rainfall and re- duced outflows due to on- going flood risk in the Low- er St. Lawrence River, wa- ter levels in Lake Ontario will continue to rise in the coming weeks. Town staff said sports fields may also close as afields may also close as af result of the wet weather. For more information about the status of sports fields, visit https://fields, visit https://f www.oakville.ca/culture- rec/sports-field-clo- sures.html. For the most up-to-date information, residents can follow the Town of Oak-follow the Town of Oak-f ville on Twitter or Face- book, or visit https:// www.oakville.ca/culture- rec/high-lake-levels.html. If water threatens to flood structures or road-flood structures or road-f ways, please contact Servi- ceOakville at 905-845-6601 or service@oakville.ca. NEWS Continued from page 1 TOWN CONCERNED ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY High Lake Ontario water levels have forced the Town of Oakville to close part of Coronation Park. Graham Paine/Torstar THE ISSUE: VARIOUS OAKVILLE WATERFRONT PARKS, PIERS AND TRAILS ARE CLOSED DUE TO HIGH LAKE LEVELS AND FLOODING. LOCAL IMPACT: RESIDENTS WILL BE UNABLE TO ATTEND THESE PUBLIC AREAS BECAUSE OF SAFETY CONCERNS. FLOOD-RELATED DAMAGE TO OAKVILLE'S SHORELINE/HARBOURS COULD RESTRICT ACCESS IN THE LONG TERM AND RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT COSTS. STORY BEHIND THE STORY We noticed a portion of the Town of Oakville website, which said closures were taking place due to high lake levels. We interviewed Town staff about these closures and gathered additional information about rising lake levels from the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority.