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Tonie Stewart, of Ashland, left, and Mike Vanderdunk, of Detroit, finish up their day associated with steelhead fishing at the Upper Rogue Regional Park boat ramp in Shady Cove Friday. [Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune]
Jackson County is seeking input from residents on the kinds of qualities they’d like to see in a new boat ramp at Upper Rogue Regional Park in Questionable Cove.
For years, the ramp has been plagued by numerous issues, with its short length, failing concrete and inability to handle the particular large influx of users during peak months. Those issues led the county, which owns the ramp, to seek grant funding from Oregon State Marine Board to conduct a cultural resource survey, as well as hydrological plus wetland delineation studies, associated with the proposed structure.
Once that work was complete, the county worked with engineers from the Marine Board to craft four vessel ramp design concepts, unveiled at a Thursday open house at the Knutson County Auditorium.
“What we’re trying to achieve will be, how do we replace a boat ramp … to where it can meet the demands of the types of use that is happening today, and reduce conflict to make it a more pleasant experience for everyone, whether you’re a commercial rafting company, or you’re just the particular average person looking to launch a boat, ” said Steve Lambert, Jackson County roads and parks director.
He said a new board ramp could cost between $1. 5 and $2 million, which is why the Marine Board grant was needed.
“Now that we’ve got (preliminary studies) out of the way, ” Lambert said, “it’s time to go to the particular public and ask, ‘What do you want in order to see? ’”
Representatives from the Marine Board, including Janine Belleque, the agency’s boating facility program manager, were on hand Thursday to explain the four design concepts.
“One of the principal goals was to create a boat ramp that can withstand the hydraulic forces during high water and last 25 to 30 years without having it gradually disappear, ” Belleque said.
The Marine Board was also aware of “conflicts” between commercial rafting companies, kayakers and drift boats throughout peak times the motorboat ramp is used, she added.
“All of that is a concern; we want everyone to have a very positive experience on the water, ” Belleque said. “So one of the goals has been to resolve some of that conflict through style options. ”
David Bowman, owner of Raft the Rogue Raft Rentals in Shady Cove, did not attend Thursday’s meeting but told the newspaper afterward that he’d like to see the boat ramp widened.
“You need to be able to have six vehicles back down to the water at once, not really two-and-a-half, ” Bowman stated.
If there were more lanes, he believes, his employees could launch their rafts at the boat ramp without a “bottleneck” conflict between them and other users.
“You kind associated with just have to take turns, but the problem with the drift ship people is, they would like the whole ramp just for one trailer because they can’t back up straight, ” Bowman said. “That’s the only conflict. ”
Lambert acknowledged congestion upon the boat ramp, which is one of the factors that will play into the finished design, making the structure easier for all parties to use.
During Thursday’s open house, Belleque spent a few hours talking to boat ramp users and hearing their feedback.
“This is usually the first chance for people to comment on this, ” Belleque mentioned. “The county will collect all this information, and we will work with the particular county and modify designs. ”
During Thursday’s open up house, people were asked to write “pros” and “cons” on the boat ramp design concepts.
“Pro” comments included: “We would still have the boat ramp, ” the “raft pad is a good idea” and “Thank you for … asking for our opinions. ” However , attendees did not always follow directions, with 1 person writing “none! ” on one from the “pro” sheets.
The “con” comments included thoughts that the ideas don’t “meet community needs, ” even that this new ramp is “way too big! ” Others furthermore felt the concepts “allow boating companies to become way too present. ”
Mary Stirling, a Shady Cove resident since 2006, read many people’s comments, which she characterized as “negative” and “not helpful. ”
“Let’s keep it upon the positive side, ” Stirling said. “That’s what (the county is) asking for — constructive feedback. ”
Lambert acknowledged comments, even plenty of “cons, ” can be helpful in aiding the region on improving the vessel ramp.
“It’s probably a lot more valuable (to read), ‘What does the public not like, ” he said. “That helps us go back to the drawing board and refine our drawings and concepts to meet what the public requirements. The farther you go inside a process like this, the more agreement you get. If we continue down the path of negative comments, however, we’re probably not doing our jobs right. ”
For her part, Stirling rafts on the Rogue River “occasionally” and agrees the motorboat ramp is “in dire need of being fixed. ”
“It’s very difficult now for anyone using the particular boat trailer. It just kind of drops off the edge of the world there, ” Stirling said, before mentioning how the ramp’s state of disrepair impacts Jackson County Fire District 4.
District 4 Fire Chief Greg Winfrey confirmed the boat ramp is tough on their agency’s two-boat fleet, which are deployed often with regard to rescues.
“(The ramp) does not allow for a timely response, ” Winfrey stated. “It’s tight and narrow and not very effective. ”
He added that Friday or Saturday afternoons, during the boat ramp’s “rush hour, ” it is “almost impossible for us in order to launch, if we had to. ”
Getting the particular department’s boats out of the water is more risky than putting them in, Winfrey said, in part because of the concrete’s “sharp edges. ”
“I do believe something good will come out of this, ” Winfrey said of the public input process.
The county is requesting for public comments until Nov. 30. Comments can be emailed to [email protected] org.
Reach reporter Kevin Opsahl at 541-776-4476 or [email protected] com. Follow him on Twitter @KevJourno.
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