There have been some good comments and some not so good ones
when it comes to the fishing boardwalk.
This dock type platform was conceived to provide fishing opportunities
to people along the channel adjacent to Breezy Point Drive. The good news is that the dock structure is
of adequate size and construction. The
not so good news is that the location doesn’t allow for fishing over the edge
of the structure. Two problems were encountered
with its installation. The water off the
edge of the platform was at best 6 inches deep and with lower water levels
there was land next to it. The second
problem encountered was that of soil types.
The “bottom” of the channel consists of muck/peat type materials. A firm bottom that would support any
significant weight was found about 23 feet down.
These lead to an exploration about what options were
available to solve the problem of getting the structure over water deep enough
to provide for fishing. Navigation in
the channel was felt to be important and a desire to not impede on this was
seen as a priority. Options looked at
included longer poles, a cantilever design and flotation. The first two options were not workable or considered
safe. The floating option came with
another set of problems. Given the depth
of the water at the location we didn’t feel that floats would work without
moving the structure out into the channel, which would affect navigation. The option of choice became minor excavation
of the shore area under the ordinary high water mark to be assured the floats placed
on the structure would actually float.
An application was made to the DNR to see if this could be
accomplished. Ordinarily the DNR is
reluctant to allow excavations but with the channel being man made this helped
the cause. The excavation is considered
minimal and it also provided for recreation which also helped the cause. A permit was granted. This allows for a trench to be excavated
along the shore where the boardwalk will be re-positioned.
The process of improvement takes a number of steps. The structure has to be removed from its
present location. This involves the
removal of the railings and platforms to start with. The 4 by 8 foot sections that are bolted
together need to be disassembled and taken off site. Once the entire structure is removed
excavation can be accomplished. Floats
need to be acquired and fastened to the structures that will be reassembled. These will then be returned to the site for
reconstruction. Changes in lowering the
height of the railings will be made in some areas to better allow for youth and
handicap fishing. Other areas of the
railing maybe strengthened and or changed.
Given the change in design this
will be something of a design build project.
With any luck we hope to get this done by spring. It is a priority for the Public Works crew. We would like to have the boardwalk available
for the spring Crappie Bite.
