Carolina Beach and Fort Fisher Boat Ramps Getting Ready for Spring 2010

The Star-News reports today that boat ramps in Fort Fisher and Carolina Beach State Park are currently being overhauled and should be ready for use this spring (2010). 

The public boat ramp at Fort Fisher will have two new ramps with added parking and docks.  Crews are also working to stabilize the shoreline there.  They are hopeful to have one ramp open to the public by March 1st.

The marina at Carolina Beach State Park is set to reopen early this spring after a $2.5 million overhaul including a 42-slip marina, public boat ramp and store. (UPDATE: The Star-News corrected this information to reflect an opening date in August, 2010.)

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is also working to dredge the approaches to two of the ramps at the Carolina Beach public boating facility east of U.S. 421 to make them usable by larger boats.

Pleasure Island boaters have a lot to look forward to this spring and summer!

You can read the full Star-News article here: Area boat ramp projects in full swing

Snow's Cut Boat Ramp Will Stay Open Until Late Winter

You spoke and they listened! Thanks to a recent article in the Star-News and reporting by Snow's Cut Monthly, Pleasure Islanders spoke up about having all three local boat ramps closed simultaneously throughout the winter.

According to an article in today's Star-News:

"Erik Christofferson, engineering division chief with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, said he had not realized the renovations to the Snow's Cut ramps would overlap with those at the state park until he received phone calls following a previous StarNews story on the issue."

They are going to try to delay the work to the Snow's Cut ramp until late winter after the Carolina Beach State Park ramp re-opens. Christofferson also said that they "definitely don't want the projects to overlap and have both sites closed, not even for a day."

In the case that the Carolina Beach State Park boat ramps are not finished in time, the Snow's Cut ramp project will be delayed until next winter.

Please visit the following link to read the full story:

www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090819/ARTICLES/908194006

Snow's Cut Boat Ramp Will Close For Renovations

Both the Star News and Snow's Cut Monthly report that the Snow's Cut (or Annie Drive) public boat ramp will close for improvements this fall and winter.

The Carolina Beach State Park boat ramp has been closed all season and is set to open back up in June 2010 while the Fort Fisher Basin boat ramp is also set to be closed for repairs over the winter months.

Renovations on the Snow's Cut public boat ramps includes paving the parking lot, adding lane markings, and adding a tie-down lane to improve traffic flow. The ramps and docks will be replaced, with the new ramps relocating farther inland for better protection from waves and wind. The public boat ramp access should be open again in time for next boating season.

A fishing pier to be added to the boardwalk on the canal side is currently in the plans. The Star News reports that some people worry that this will add major congestion to the access. Other people welcome the addition of a fishing pier.

Renovations to the Carolina Beach State Park boat access include re-doing the docks and boat ramps, repaving the parking lot, and adding new bulkheads in front of the current ones.

Funding for the Snow's Cut boat access project will come from a combination of a grant from the marine fisheries department and from boat registration and licensing fees.

Read the full Star-News article here:
www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090805/ARTICLES/908059984/1004