On January 10th, the City of Valparaiso voted unanimously to move forward with a payback grant from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to renovate the boat ramp and dock at Lincoln Park.
- The grant amount is up to $414,500.
- Because it is a payback grant, the city will have to spend the money first and then seek reimbursement from FWC.
As part of the grant, the city will have to dedicate the boat ramp as a “boat access facility” for the benefit and use of the public for no less than 20 years.
- If a future city commission decides to remove that dedication, the city will have to payback the money they received from FWC.
After execution of the grant, the City must begin work on the project within 90 days and have must complete everything on or before June 30, 2023.
The City plans to outsource the work and will begin working on the build specs in order to solicit bids from qualified contractors.
The boat ramp is in big need of repair. There are large slab separations in the water that cause issues with trailers, in addition to the sand accumulation.
- With the pouring of all new concrete, the boat ramp with go from a single lane to a 25ft double lane allowing two boats to launch at once.
- There will also be new boat parking.
“I personally think that this is a good idea,” said Brent Smith, City of Valparaiso Mayor. “We’re fortunate right now because we haven’t had somebody get injured on the boat ramp and we haven’t had to replace a boat trailer.”
No timeline has been set on when actual construction will begin.
