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Old Town public boat launch concerns to be addressed

Sicamous’ mayor says parties involved discussing a fix.
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Concerns have arisen in the community regarding the proximity of the Old Town Bay public boat launch to the new Twin Anchors marina.

Sicamous’ mayor says concerns regarding the new public boat launch in Old Town Bay will be addressed.

The issue being raised has to do with the close proximity of the recently constructed, $255,000 launch to the adjacent docking system for Twin Anchors’ future marina – a project currently under construction.

Mayor Terry Rysz says all the players involved are currently trying to find the right fix. He says the matter is complicated, however, with a number of factors at play.

A big part of the issue is the alignment of the boat launch, which he said should have been angled more to the right. However, an adjacent creek prevented this.

“I think more than anything, it was engineering that kind of designed this thing with a fault, because there’s a creek that runs in there, right along side of the boat launch… and that’s kind of what created this thing,” said Rysz. “And then boat launches, more or less, have got to go straight into the water, but engineering designed it to go at a 20 degree angle.

“At the end of the day, they decided to do the right thing and that was to build a boat launch going straight into the water, but then that didn’t totally align with the way the marina was being built. So now the marina might have to be reconstructed to accommodate the traffic going in and out of there.”

Despite concerns, Rysz said the new public boat launch was well used this summer by locals and visitors alike. He says the available parking near the launch adds to its attraction.

“And, you know what, the marina right now, even as it is, even with the low water, you can still launch a boat out there,” said Rysz.

 



Lachlan Labere

About the Author: Lachlan Labere

Editor of the Salmon Arm Observer, Shuswap Market, and Eagle Valley News. I'm always looking for new and exciting ways to keep our readers informed and engaged.
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