A low level of water at the Rafferty Dam allowed volunteers to get some work done on the Rafferty boat launch.
On Wednesday and Thursday morning, a group of dedicated volunteers could be seen working at the marina, fixing the ramps. The ramps have deteriorated over the past years. They were in use since the late 90s, and the weather, along with steady traffic during the summer and until recently winter fishing seasons, wore them out quite badly.
Prior to fixing the cement, volunteers Lance Marcotte, Jerry Seipp, Lonnie Barber, Barry Bod and Nathan and Barry Dies cleaned out the cracks in the heavy blocks leading towards the bigger dock with water. A big piece of cement was also missing close to the water line in between two docks. It was cleaned and fixed as well.
The volunteers then dragged as much debris brought by water and winds as they can, and proceeded with tying in some rebar to create a carcass to hold the cement. The outer block was washed out quite a bit with high waters and waves. Since it tends to float, volunteers had to make sure that they don't connect the two blocks to prevent further destruction.
Nathan Dies had spare rebar that was used for the construction, and one of the local businesses donated the cement. After cementing up the cracks volunteers blocked off the approach to the bigger dock to let the cement cure.
Ideally, it takes 28 days for the cement to fully settle and cure, but the volunteers asked the public to avoid the freshly fixed part of the ramps for at least a few days.
And while it was a big project to accomplish, there is always more work that needs to be done so the community could keep enjoying the convenient boat launch.
