May
10, 2000
Boats
may dock at Waterfront Park
Corps issues permit to county for 6-month trial
CHRIS POYNTER, The Courier-Journal
Boats will be allowed to dock at Waterfront Park for a six-month trial
period beginning next week.
The Army Corps of Engineers yesterday issued a permit to allow boaters
to either tie up or anchor their vessels at the park, between the Clark
Memorial and Kennedy bridges.
``This opens up an opportunity for our park to truly become a waterfront
park,'' Jefferson County Judge-Executive Rebecca Jackson said. ``I think
this will really be popular. We have a 19-foot boat, and I would love to
bring it there.''
Although details are being worked out, boats likely will be permitted to
dock 24 hours a day between May 19 and Nov. 1. After that, the corps
will decide whether to issue a long-term permit.
In the past, boaters have noted the irony in developing a $58 million
riverfront park with no access for water vessels.
Jackson said the county has been working for 10 years to get the permit.
The corps wanted to be sure that pleasure boats would not interfere with
barges that travel the Ohio River daily.
``We've really had to work to get everything in place,'' Jackson said.
Boats will be able to dock at the wharf at the south end of the park by
Joe's Crab Shack. At the northern end of the park near the Great Lawn,
boats will be able to drop anchor, but not dock. Jackson didn't know how
many vessels the areas can accommodate.
The areas will be patrolled by the Jefferson County sheriff's water
division, Jackson said.
Tom Widman, who owns a 50-foot boat, predicts many boaters will use the
dock and anchoring area.
``That's a great area down there. My wife and I drove there Sunday, and
walked around and we like what we saw.''
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