EAST LIVERPOOL Wharf revamp improves access

The project was delayed several times and scaled back.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
EAST LIVERPOOL -- Recreational boaters will find their access to the Ohio River here has improved.
The city has completed a nearly $380,000 project that renovates the municipally owned Broadway Wharf, south of the downtown area.
"It met all our expectations," Bill Cowan, city planner, said.
Although the river sees most of its recreational use in the summer months, the facility is open to the public now. Work on the project began in July.
Now that the job is finished, boaters will find it easier to get their craft into and out of the river.
What was done
The project included widening from one to two lanes the ramp that goes down into the river and on which boaters' launch and take out their craft.
The new ramp is about 30 feet wide and 80 feet long.
Another part of the project entailed building a concrete pier along the river bank and attaching two floating docks to the structure.
The two docks can accommodate a total of four 18- to 20-foot-long boats, Cowan said.
The docks, which are intended for temporary mooring of boats, and the ramp are free to the public.
Also included in the project was paving an adjacent parking lot where boaters can park their vehicles and boat trailers.
Officials are hopeful the renovated facility will encourage more use of the river by recreational boaters, Cowan said.
Project delays
Nearly 75 percent of the project was paid for through a grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The remainder came from city funds.
The contractor was Murphy Construction Co. of Beech Bottom, W.Va.
The job was to have started in fall 2001, but bids came in over the project budget.
Officials were forced to scale back the project and to take bids three times until the proposals met the budget. Originally, the task was to have included more docks.
In the future the city would like to follow through with its wishes for more docks, if additional grants become available, Cowan said.
leigh@vindy.com