Groundbreaking For BIG Boating Projects Thursday
Two projects benefiting operators of motorboats 26 feet and longer as well as the communities of Rainier and St. Helens, will get underway this Thursday. Groundbreaking ceremonies are scheduled for 10 a.m. at Rainier and 1:15 p.m. at St. Helens for the projects, which are worth more than $1 million.
"These are large-scale public works projects which will fill a significant void for boaters on this section of the Columbia River," said Ron Rhodehamel, Facilities Program Manager for the Oregon State Marine Board. "We were very happy to hear that Oregon received the federal grants and we're happy that the projects are about to get underway."
The projects include new transient tie-up facilities, sewage pumpouts, 12-foot wide floats and wheel-chair accessible aluminum gangways connecting the facilities to the communities. The projects are expected to be complete by next spring's boating season.
Rainier's facility will cost $416,000. The facility will replace a deteriorated facility that has been unusable for years. The St. Helens facility will cost $597,000 and replaces the Court House docks. The bulk of the dollars are from the federal Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) program. The Marine Board, in cooperation with the communities, applied for the grants and will assist in the project design and implementation.
The BIG program is administered through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is funded by an excise tax on fishing equipment and by boaters' federal gasoline tax dollars. The program was created by Congress to provides funds to states to build, renovate and maintain tie-up facilities designed for recreational vessels 26 feet or longer. The program also seeks to enhance access to recreational, historic, cultural and scenic resources; strengthen community ties to the water’s edge and economic benefits; promote public/private partnerships and entrepreneurial opportunities; provide continuity of public access to the shore; and promote awareness of transient boating opportunities.
"While the bulk of these dollars are federal, the Marine Board and local communities provided the required matching grants, including $1000 for each project from the Columbia River Yachting Association," said Rhodehamel.
A third facility at the Columbia River city of Arlington is also benefiting from recent BIG program grants. The Port of Arlington received a grant of $171,000 to build a transient tie-up to augment existing facilities.
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