New Ohio River Boat Ramp
CHARLESTOWN, Ind. -- A ramp to be dedicated today is giving people in this southern Indiana community a quick way to launch their boats onto the Ohio River for the first time in more than 60 years. Gov. Mitch Daniels and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources will dedicate the Charlestown Landing Boat Ramp and Overlook, which has been open since Memorial Day weekend at Charlestown State Park. During World War II, the Indiana Army Ammunition Plant built between Charlestown and the river cut off public access. But in 1995, the state opened the park on land occupied by the closed plant, and six years ago the DNR began planning the boat ramp, said Larry Gray, the park's property manager. The landing cost $2.8 million. It has a 75-foot-wide boat ramp, two observation decks, more than 100 parking spaces and a road to the ramp in the city 15 miles north of Louisville, Ky. A little more than $2 million came from the state, while $750,000 was provided by a U.S. Fish and Wildlife grant program. "You have a beautiful natural area there," said Dan Bortner, director of the Division of State Parks and Reservoirs. "It just seems like a place to put" a boat ramp. There is no fee to use the ramp, but the park has a gate fee -- $4 Monday through Thursday for vehicles with Indiana plates, and $5 Friday through Sunday. The cost is higher for out-of-state cars.
CHARLESTOWN, Ind. -- A ramp to be dedicated today is giving people in this southern Indiana community a quick way to launch their boats onto the Ohio River for the first time in more than 60 years. Gov. Mitch Daniels and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources will dedicate the Charlestown Landing Boat Ramp and Overlook, which has been open since Memorial Day weekend at Charlestown State Park. During World War II, the Indiana Army Ammunition Plant built between Charlestown and the river cut off public access. But in 1995, the state opened the park on land occupied by the closed plant, and six years ago the DNR began planning the boat ramp, said Larry Gray, the park's property manager. The landing cost $2.8 million. It has a 75-foot-wide boat ramp, two observation decks, more than 100 parking spaces and a road to the ramp in the city 15 miles north of Louisville, Ky. A little more than $2 million came from the state, while $750,000 was provided by a U.S. Fish and Wildlife grant program. "You have a beautiful natural area there," said Dan Bortner, director of the Division of State Parks and Reservoirs. "It just seems like a place to put" a boat ramp. There is no fee to use the ramp, but the park has a gate fee -- $4 Monday through Thursday for vehicles with Indiana plates, and $5 Friday through Sunday. The cost is higher for out-of-state cars.