Council voted Aug. 5 to approve fee <\/b><\/p>\n
Starting in the fall or early next year, it will cost $5 to use the boat launch at Lake Meridian Park.<\/p>\n
The Kent City Council voted on Aug. 5 to establish fees of $5 per launch and $50 for an annual pass. The funds will be used to maintain the launch, as well as to control weeds in the lake at the city park.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the only lake in the area that doesn\u2019t charge a fee,\u201d said Lori Flemm, superintendent of Kent parks, in a phone interview Thursday. \u201cWe also made significant improvements to the boat ramp. Because of the investment we made, the user of the facility should help take responsibility for the privilege to use the launch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Contractors for the city installed a new boat launch last fall at Lake Meridian. A state grant helped pay for the $305,000 project.<\/p>\n
The boat ramp was widened from 8 feet to 16 feet, with pre-cast concrete planks. Three handling floats for tying boats were added for easier loading and unloading, officials said. No handling floats existed at the old launch.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow you can launch a boat without getting wet, and you can tie up a boat,\u201d Flemm said. \u201cAnd the ramp is wider so you will not drive over the edge.\u201d<\/p>\n
City officials plan to install a ticket machine at the ramp this fall. The machine will accept only credit cards, and will issue a ticket for a boat owner to place on his or her vehicle\u2019s dashboard.<\/p>\n
Flemm said the city had not yet decided whether to start charging fees in the fall or to wait until next year. Annual passes will be sold starting in January at the city\u2019s Kent Commons recreational facility.<\/p>\n
The idea to charge a fee started with a public meeting in 2004 at Lake Meridian Park, Flemm said. People living near the lake, which is just west of Covington, brought up the idea of a fee to help pay for boat launch improvements and as a way to limit overcrowding. Residents felt more boaters come to Lake Meridian because it remains one of the few lakes without a boat launch fee.<\/p>\n
The fees will be dedicated to a city boating fund. Along with Lake Meridian upkeep, the funds also will be used to maintain a boat launch at Lake Fenwick Park on the West Hill and a hand-carry boat ramp at Van Doren\u2019s Landing Park on the Green River.<\/p>\n
Flemm said the city has yet to figure out an estimate of how much money the fee will generate each year.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of it will depend if people are honest and pay for the use,\u201d Flemm said. \u201cBut by far, we expect most to pay. We just built a boat launch and it will help pay for the maintenance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those who don\u2019t pay the fee will be subject to a $100 fine under the Kent City Code.<\/p>\n
Residents who launch light crafts such as kayaks from the beach wouldn\u2019t pay the fee. But if someone used the ramp to launch a canoe, the fee would be required.<\/p>\n
Flemm said the boat-launch fee makes sense because the city charges golfers to use the Riverbend Golf Course and charges players to compete in the city adult softball league. City staff initially proposed the boat-launch fee in June to the Council\u2019s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Committee.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have not heard from anyone who did not feel the fee was justified,\u201d Flemm said. \u201cAnd we will have funds to replace the ramp in another 25 years.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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