Larry Fortin

A ramp on Winnisquam? How much longer before it’s a reality! It’s long, long overdue! Who are the people who keep putting up roadblocks? They evidently don’t fish or own a boat. Why do they object to a ramp, anywhere, in any shape or form. I think everyone agrees that a ramp is needed. But it’s the same old story, don’t put it next to me.

It may seem like some repetition, but there were some points that were overlooked the first time around. I feel everyone is entitled to his or her opinion as long as they don’t try to shove it down my throat. Why is it that a few can dictate what we can or cannot do? As an example, roughly 5 percent tell us that we can’t pray in school. We don’t tell them they have to pray, so why should they tell us we can’t.

Fred Toll has suggested a ramp at the end of Water Street. I feel that towing a boat and trailer in or out of Water Street would be hazardous to your health. Regardless of which way you turn, you have to go through downtown traffic, and that’s bad enough with just a car. Has anyone approached the Police Department to get their viewpoint.

Other considerations: what would a ramp at the end of Water Street cost and how long would it take. It would have to be a double ramp, and there should be parking for at least 40 trailers. Would there be enough room for that? Can it be built without removing the storage tank or any other part of the sewage treatment plant? It is no longer used and will probably never be used again. Would dismantling it, open a “can of worms”? It is very possible there would be contamination. Who would pay to clean it up? It could be a nightmare. Some state agencies wouldn’t touch it with a 10 foot pole, without taking soil samples first. It doesn’t afford ready access to the channel leading to the lake, because there’s a sandbar that has to be taken care of, and with the current from the river, there will always be a problem.

Getting back to Ahern State Park which would seem to be a much better choice for a ramp with 3,500 feet of shoreline. It would not infringe on any camps, and there would be no impact on traffic. I keep hearing that the people who oppose the ramp at Ahern, want to maintain the “pristine” quality of the park. I’ll say it again, “pristine” for whom? Is it for the people who use it for their own private dog walk? There are two small beaches, which I don’t think anyone uses. The mosquitoes would carry you away. The beaches don’t look like they’ve ever been cleaned up. Fish and Game has the final say. They try too hard to keep everybody happy, which ends up dragging it out.

Has anyone considered what the advantages of having a decent ramp on Winnisquam would be? Would vacationers from out of state with a decent boat, spend their time and money in the area? Would bass tournaments, which have been crying for years for a decent ramp, generate more money into the area? Only about 10 percent of the people in the tournaments are local people.

There was a meeting of the Public Water Access Advisory Board on Monday, July 12. They were originally going to discuss proposals for a ramp on Winnisquam, but it was tabled until the September 13 meeting. It would give several state agencies time to review alternate sites to Ahern.

Keeping the pressure on, will hopefully keep things going. Perhaps a ramp on Winnisquam will become a reality in my lifetime. The closing of the ramp at Sarge’s has also had an impact on Opechee. This past Sunday, I went past the ramp at Messer Street Bridge and it was packed. The ramp doesn’t have room for many trailers, I’m sure there are some choice words uttered when it gets overcrowded.