Hayden Lake facility gets upgrade

HAYDEN LAKE - The Idaho Department of Fish and Game reports the Sportsman Park boat ramp at Hayden Lake has recently been expanded and improved and is now open to the public.

The expanded facility accommodates more than 40 parking spaces and the access road can now accommodate two vehicles. An ADA approved disabled parking site is available adjacent to the ramp.

All surfaces have been paved and overhead lighting has been installed. The new boat ramp is 20 feet long and has an expanded radius to back vehicles with trailers down the ramp, making boat launching faster, safer and easier.

A boat preparation area enables boaters to get boats ready to launch without blocking the ramp for others in the process of launching or loading.

The project took more than two years to design, plan and to secure funding. Funding sources for the $250,000 project include the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation Waterways Improvement Fund, which is generated by annual boat registrations, and federal funds through the Dingell-Johnson program (an excise tax on fishing-related equipment purchases).

"The main challenges in completing the project were the limited space in which to work heavy equipment and the steep slope of the property," said JJ Teare, IDFG habitat manager. "A few 'touch-up' construction details are still being completed, so facility users are asked to remain patient as they may encounter work crews and equipment finalizing work at the site."

He emphasized, "IDFG wanted to open the facility for public use as soon as it was practical, because August is a peak use period by boaters."

Teare says much of the credit for completion of the project goes to IDFG Utility Craftsman Dave Ross and his crew.

"They did an outstanding job overseeing this project. The result is a facility that will serve boaters in the area well for years to come," he added.