David F. Rooney photo
By David F. Rooney
BC Hydro unveiled its plans on Monday, August 17, for a $2.2 million project to renew the Shelter Bay boat launch. While almost everyone thought it was a a great idea, Rod and Gun Club members have a few concerns.
The project envisions the addition of a floating walkway and a wooden breakwater, and a larger and improved turnaround on the side of the ramp.
The utility’s afternoon open house at the Community Centre attracted dozens of local boaters and anglers, most of whom liked what they saw but there are a couple concerns.
“Our club will be sending a letter to Hydro outlining our concerns,” Rod and Gun Club member Gary Krestinsky said after the open house.
He said the club would like to see two breakwaters one to the north and one to the south and believes they should be made of rock — not wood. Variable winds at Shelter Bay can sometimes make boat handling rather treacherous when you are trying to get a boat on its trailer.
“They really need to be made of more substantial materials — angular rock as opposed to wood,” he said. “A wooden breakwater only works with water under two feet in depth. And the walkway is too short; it should extend further out.
The club has a few other comments on the plan and will send the letter to Hydro after it’s September meeting, Krestinsky said.
Loni Parker, director of the Columbia Shuswap Regional District’s Area B, said she thought the pans were “a good first step” as the boat launch was “in dire need of being upgraded. Hope, fully next spring they’ll have it all fixed because nobody wants to put themselves in harm’s way launching a boat.”
The plans also call for the construction of a 70 metre x 44 metre parking area to accommodate 32 vehicles and trailers, a circulatory one-way road to reduce congestion, a floating walkway, a replacement breakwater, rip rap to reduce version at the edges of the ramp and repairs to broken areas of the ramp.
Please click here to view Hydro’s plans for the boat launch.
