Lauderdale wants to improve its most popular launch site
Fort Lauderdale officials are launching a $1.1 million renovation plan to improve life for mariners who use the city's most popular boat ramp.
Funded largely by state and Broward County grant money, the city wants to rejuvenate the 15th Street boat ramp. Planned improvements are expanded parking for cars and boat trailers, including more handicapped spaces, relocation of overhead power lines, new lighting, seawall repair and the replacement of an existing fish cleaning station.
"It's an important upgrade," said Andrew Cuba, the city's manager of marine facilities. "It's truly in need of a face lift."
The 15th Street facility, just off the Intracoastal Waterway north of the 17th Street Bridge, is the most popular of the city's four boat ramps. About 50,000 boaters a year launch vessels from the facility's two ramps, Cuba said.
The ramps are the largest in the city, allowing big boats to be floated.
"The location is the best," Cuba said. "It provides the closest proximity to Port Everglades Inlet."
The open sea is only about two miles away.
Pleasure cruiser Marc Kiar, 27, of Davie, launches his 21-foot Sea Ray from the facility nearly every weekend. It's convenient to the ocean as well as nearby waterfront restaurants, he said.
"If the city is spending funds to rejuvenate the area, it would be wonderful," he said.
Kiar said more parking would be especially welcomed. "When I go there on Sundays it's almost impossible to get a parking space," he said.
The city will spend approximately $350,000 from its capital improvement fund toward the total estimated $1.1 million cost of the improvements, Cuba said. The remainder will come from grants, if approved, from the Broward Boating Improvement Program, the Florida Boating Improvement Program and the Florida Inland Navigation District.
But boaters shouldn't expect smoother sailing at the boat ramp anytime soon. It will be next year at the earliest before work begins, Cuba said.
Robert Nolin can be reached at rnolin@SunSentinel.com or 954-356-4525.
Boat ramp
$1.1 millionCost of renovating the 15th Street boat launching site
Plans
More parking for cars and boat trailers, new lighting, seawall repair, relocation of overhead power lines and replacing a fish cleaning station
source: sun-sentinel.com
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Fort Lauderdale ramps up plans for boating upgrades
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