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Repairs Planned for Newport Boat Launch

August 20, 2008 - NEWPORT -- Richard Stone, of Newport, has lived beside Sebasticook Lake for more than 30 years. Typically in the fall and spring, he'll take his two boats out on the lake's only public boat launch.

He knows the launch could use a facelift; it's been there about as long as he has and has only received minor patches.

"It's been in poor shape for a number of years. You tend to drop in (the water) with your trailer," Stone said. "And it's hugely filled to the limit. They've been parking in the grass and everywhere else; it'd be great if they expand that."

Fortunately for boaters and lake enthusiasts, that will soon happen. State officials are planning a $100,000 to $125,000 rehab of the boat launch, with a new and much longer boat ramp extending out into the water, handicapped access and a bigger, paved parking lot.

The boat launch, off North Street, is owned by the Maine Department of Conservation and the town's government has a contract to maintain it.

According to George Powell, director of the boating facilities division of Bureau of Parks and Lands, state officials have been planning to repair the boat launch for about two years.

At 4,288 acres, Sebasticook Lake is the largest lake confined to a single municipality in Maine. It drains into the east branch of the Sebasticook River, Mulligan Stream and Stetson Stream. The Sebasticook Lake dam was constructed in the mid-1980s to maintain the lake's water levels.

The current boat ramp was built in 1974 using 4-inch thick planks; modern standards are for 6-inch planks, Powell said.

As a result of more boater traffic since the '70s, the ramp has deteriorated and is in "poor shape," Powell said.

"It's seen its useful life," Powell said, and the ramp "sags in the middle and to prevent that in the future, it will be extended out."

Under the project, the 14-foot ramp will extend out 64 feet. Also, the existing gravel parking area has 11 spaces and that will be enlarged to 17 on a completely paved lot. Each parking space will have room enough for a vehicle and boat trailer.

The boat launch will also get a handicapped access adjacent to the boat ramp to comply with the the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Repair work will start sometime next month after the annual drawdown of the lake on Sept. 2. The drawdown, which will last about two weeks, is necessary to remove the top layer of water on the lake, and to flush out algae and phosphorus.

Larry Ferrell and his wife, Deborah, live on the lake's shore in Newport. They perform biological sampling for the state government as part of the Congress Of Lake Associations, checking for invasive plant species. Deborah Ferrell is a member of the Newport Planning Board and says that the boat launch is used by many people, especially for fishing.

"There's usually at least a few cars or trailers there; a lot of bass fishermen come up and fish here. I've see more boats on the lake this year than in previous years," Ferrell said.

Ferrell said she's glad the state has decided to install a paved parking lot instead of dirt, which could add phosphorous to the lake, she said.

Al Worden, chairman of the Newport Select Board, said the lake's boat launch is "very popular," so he's glad to see it repaired.

"A lot of boaters use it and a lot of people come to the lake to come bass fishing," he said.

"I think it'll be great for everybody, no question," Stone said of the project. "It's overdue for an expansion."

It's not uncommon for such repairs to old boat launches, Powell said, and the state typically undertakes about five a year.

"We expect to get about 20 years of useful life out of the boating facilities," Powell said. "We have a lot that are 40 years old."

BY SCOTT MONROE
Staff Writer, Kennebec Journal, 08/19/2008


Lakes: Sebasticook Lake
Regions: Bangor


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