The final design plans to relocate and upgrade the Lake George Beach Boat Launch are complete and work is set to begin this year, according to state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Regional Director Robert Stegemann.
The boat launch is part of a two-year project to improve the roads, parking lots and access to DEC’s Lake George beach area, known as Million Dollar Beach, in the village at the south end of the lake.
Improvements to the roads and parking lots through the use of porous asphalt and other stormwater management features will also protect the water quality of Lake George, DEC officials said.
The sidewalk along the beach will be upgraded increasing safety, convenience and attractiveness for pedestrians. A boat wash station is planned for the boat launch that will provide further protection for the lake.
“DEC is committed to increasing recreational access to the state’s natural treasures for both New Yorkers and visitors to the state. The design and operation of the boat launch will provide additional access for boaters to Lake George while ensuring the safety and minimizing the impacts on users of Lake George Beach and nearby residents,” said Stegemann.
“The input received from residents and local officials led to modifications resulting in a boat launch that boaters, bathers and residents will all appreciate.”
“Million Dollar Beach has always been a primary destination of visitors to Lake George. The planned improvements will raise the attractiveness and accessibility of the beach,” said Lake George Village Mayor Robert Blais. “As chairman of SAVE the Lake, I am also pleased that boaters will have increased access to the southern basin of the lake while protecting the lake from aquatic invasive species.”
“The beach is a key asset to our community and its tourism driven economy.” said Town of Lake George Supervisor Dennis Dickinson. “We couldn’t be happier with the planned improvements.”
DEC held a number of meetings with local officials and residents. In response to the concerns expressed at these meetings and in other communications, DEC undertook a second review of the boat launch project and made changes to the plan.
Officials said the second review included sampling lake depth out from and along the whole stretch of Lake George Beach.
Due to water depths and problems identified with other possible locations, DEC concluded that the boat launch will be moved to the site at the eastern end of Lake George Beach, officials said. However, in response to the comments received, a number of modifications were made to the proposed design and operation of the boat launch, including:
• The ramp location will be shifted west so that it will be 358 feet from the eastern shoreline of residences on Rose Point Lane.
• The boat launch ramp is now oriented to point away from the eastern shoreline rather than straight out into the lake.
• A 150-feet-wide navigation area will be marked with buoys to keep boats approximately 300 feet from the eastern shoreline.
• The swimming area at DEC’s Lake George beach will be shifted 100 feet west to provide sufficient separation from the boating navigation area.
• The boat launch will not operate 24 hours a day during the busy summer boating season.
DEC’s decision to relocate and upgrade the boat launch so that boats can be launched and retrieved throughout the boating season is based on earlier studies that found boaters and local officials wanted additional public access to Lake George and boater’s usage of the southeastern basin of the Lake was far below “comfortable carrying capacity,” according to DEC.
The 25-boat capacity planned for the boat launch will not exceed the “comfortable carrying capacity” for that portion of the lake, officials said.
In his 2014 Executive Budget, Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed creating 50 new land access projects. These projects will connect hunters, anglers, bird watchers and others who enjoy the outdoors to more than 380,000 acres of existing state and easement lands that have gone untapped until now.
These 50 new access projects include building new boat launches, installing new hunting blinds and building new trails and parking areas, DEC officials said.
Photo Courtesy Warren County Tourism Department