County leaders interested in creating new public access point on lake
There’s something missing from Lake Greenwood.
On its north and south banks are five access points allowing for boat launching into the water. But for hundreds of miles along its shoreline, no such accommodations exist.
But with $810,000 in capital projects sales tax revenue coming into the county by October 2021 earmarked for lake improvements, that challenge might soon be resolved.
“We’ve discussed access as a priority for the use of these funds,” County Engineer Rob Russian said Tuesday.
County leaders want to hear what residents and lake users hope to see from a modern public access point before authorizing any pre-engineering or site work. To date, $530,000 has already been collected, with the balance set to roll in by late 2021.
Russian and a small delegation visited four sites along the South Carolina/Georgia border on a fact-finding trip, stopping at Green Pond Landing in Anderson County, McCormick’s Dorn Fishing Facility, the Big Oaks recreation area in Hartwell, Georgia and the Shuck Pen boat ramp in Elberton, Georgia.
From large pavilions and state-of-the-art restroom facilities to a modest launch that included a life jacket loaner station, Russian said Greenwood could consider a range of options.
As for location, the county currently owns 2.9 acres along U.S. Highway 72/221 near Break on the Lake.
“We would want to investigate doing something on that piece of property,” Russian said.
Already, there are 32 county-owned boat slips in front of Break on the Lake, with plans to add 32 more.
County council members asked whether bring that much activity to such a condensed part of the lake would lead to congestion or safety issues. Russian’s office is preparing a boat capacity study that could answer some of those questions but said Tuesday a built-out ramp likely would not hamper activity on the water.
“Would it put more boats in there? Absolutely. Would it put so many more boats in there it would be a problem? I don’t think so,” he said.
While officials haven’t committed to the project, County Council chairman Steve Brown said placing a boat launch on a part of the lake that’s a growing hub of commerce could be the best long-term use of the property.
“My concern — and this isn’t a known, but I think it’s a legitimate concern — is if the county were to make a decision not to put this boat launch there, then we’re holding onto a very valuable piece of property. When we look at traffic that we may cause, my next question would be, ‘What could go there that would be worse than a boat launch,’” Brown said. “I do hear from a lot of people who are Greenwood County people that they want better access. Once we sell that property to somebody, we have no idea what would be put there.”
Originally Published by Index-Journal on:Oct 2, 2019
By ADAM BENSON abenson@indexjournal.com