By Margie Plunkett
LANTANA — Sportsman Park is getting three sets of docks with $300,000 from the county, a measure that will relieve the wait when pulling boats out of the water.
In addition, the new docks give boaters the chance to pull up and dock at the Ocean Avenue park while they come into town for dinner, for example, said Lantana Town Manager Mike Bornstein.
The park, which allows access at the south end of Lake Worth Lagoon and the Boynton Inlet, currently has two paved boat ramps.
“Right now it gets confusing. You have one boat coming in, one going out. They have to wait for the ramp to be cleared,” Bornstein said. With the added docks, “You get three or four people queued up” making the process more convenient.
No marina is planned at Sportsman Park and there will be no accommodations for overnight docking, according to Bornstein.
The town is working to put together a proposal for the addition of the three docks, which involves environmental and permitting issues, and will take several months, Bornstein said.
“The allocation is part of the Waterfront Access Bond referendum approved by the voters in 2004,” County Commissioner Steven L. Abrams said in a statement.
“This project will provide the much needed dockage for area boaters and, in return, help stimulate local businesses catering to their needs.”
The $300,000 allotment became available from another project in the county that didn’t ultimately use it, Mayor David Stewart said at a meeting in May, thanking Bornstein for drawing the money to Lantana rather than its going elsewhere.
Strings attached to the county funds require the waterfront access is open equally to benefit all of Palm Beach County, attorney Max Lohman clarified. The town can’t charge different rates for its residents and boaters from elsewhere in the county.
Comments