Document text
65 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, September 12, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend July 22, 2004 Upper Rogue’s worst boating facility to get facelift By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune SHADY COVE — As Mark Grieve stands in gravel to photograph four Boise, Idaho, anglers with their day’s catch Tuesday from the upper Rogue River, the snapshot reveals all that is good — and bad — about Jackson County’s Takelma boat ramp. The smiles on the anglers’ faces and the large spring chinook salmon hanging from their fingers are testimony that the ramp’s location near Shady Cove represents key access for those fishing the heart of the upper Rogue’s salmon country. "These fish are awesome," blurts Ryan Smith between shutter blasts. But awesome is not a word associated with the facilities. The parking lot is dusty, the port-a-potty stinks. The ramp is curved, so boaters back their trucks down blindly. And the ramp’s asphalt doesn’t even reach the Rogue. It ends in the gravel at Grieve’s feet. Advertisement "We need a good ramp at this place," says Grieve, of Prospect. Grieve and other boaters, anglers and other floaters of the upper Rogue will get that ramp next month as the upper Rogue’s worst boating facilities transforms into one of its best. Construction of the long-awaited new ramp is set to start Aug. 8 at Takelma Park, off Rogue River Drive three miles downstream from Shady Cove. The work will include a straight ramp that will plunge into the slack water just upstream of the old ramp. The new ramp will be 20 feet wide, creating enough room for dual launchings and reducing conflicts involving people using poor boating etiquette by clogging the ramp. The parking lot will be paved and concrete walkways will link the two. Two vault toilets that are part of the project already have been built, but they are not yet open for public use. "It’ll be a neat project," Jackson County Parks facilities supervisor Randy Hutton says. "This is the first time we’ve done any major improvements up there." The project costs about $137,000 and is paid primarily by the Oregon State Marine Board with some county money. The Marine Board in April authorized spending $95,100 of Oregon boat-license funds for the project. As part of the grant agreement, Jackson County chipped in $28,900 in cash and about $13,000 of in-kind donations to complete the project. The relatively poor facilities at Taklema have been a grumbling point of anglers and rafters for years. Since the ramp doesn’t reach the water, county crews constantly add gravel so trailers reach the water. During current low-water conditions, vehicles’ rear tires must drop into the gravel, and some two-wheel-drive vehicles can end up spinning their tires. Other times, the asphalt’s end can create a rousing jolt to a trailer as it crosses the threshold from river to ramp. "This will be a big improvement," Grieve says. "It needs it." But progress comes with a different kind of pricetag to Grieve and others. The ramp will be closed to public use Aug. 1 and remain closed until Sept. 15 for construction. The Aug. 1 closure comes at the official closure of spring chinook fishing in the upper Rogue and the Sept. 15 end coincides with the legal window for in-stream work in the Rogue. In the meantime, Grieve’s clients won’t be posing for the camera at Takelma. They will have to float downstream to the boat ramp at Dodge Bridge, where Highway 234 crosses the Rogue. "It won’t be too long of an extra float," Grieve says. "It’s just another three miles." Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities