I know this has been discussed a 1000 times. Are we honestly ever going to get a decent landing on the Cooper River. Bushy Park and the landing by the paper mill just don’t cut it.
I know it’s a pain there unc but like frio said,it’s gonna be hell when they get a new one built.haha
There is Cypress Gardens and or Fresh water side of Bushy park. Cypress to Bushy Salt is about 10min for me, probably 20min for most boats.
Much rather spend that time in the boat than stuck in traffic.
I contacted my Councilman about this issue a few days ago. Below is the email.
I am contacting you to find out if there has been any movement or progress towards resolving or building a new boat ramp for Cooper River access at Bushy Park? The last update that I saw was a recommendation to build a new ramp just above the existing one. This was in August of 2017 from the feasibility study that was conducted.
Boat access to the Cooper River has been a problem since 2011 and has only gotten worse and the County seems to not have much interest in moving forward to resolve this issue. I do understand there are funding and permitting issues associated with any work that is proposed or approved, but the lack of information coming from the County has left the boating public, extremely frustrated.
Any information that you can share with me would be greatly appreciated.
“There has been no update for us on this, funding is the issue.”
Thanks for the prompt reply. Is this now a dead issue?
“No, it is not dead but how to fund it is the issue. I can tell you this, tough budget year this year, will see some new commercial revenue next year but our list of projects is huge. They are constantly looking for grants.”
This was from a Berkeley County Councilman.
Thanks for the update 1/4lb.
Sounds like we need to hire a lobbyist.
Amazing how much money the rec boating industry brings in yet we get no support and very limited safe access to the public waterways.
The boat manufacturers should be all over this. How can you sell boats with no water access.
Find out who is voting no for the ramp and plaster it everywhere until they are voted out.
If I recall the funding had already been earmarked. Seems someone decided their project was more important.
Maybe we should start our own dredging program. Everyone take 5 gal of pluff mud from bushy park and deliver to our appointed officials front yards until they figure out we want the ramp they promised.
buy a fast boat, and it does not matter where you put in
The ramp funding was purportedly in place under the prior Berkeley Cty administration and was diverted to road funding by the current administration. I do not know if this was the case or not, only what I’ve heard. Yes, we need to make noise again. Love the mud idea.
I will be voting for change next month.
I have been told that the last three Berkeley County Supervisors at one time or another had the funding in hand for a new boat ramp. I attended the March Berkley County council meeting. I asked Mr. Peagler, and the council members when we were going to have a new boat ramp. They have the land, needs a few more studies to be completed. They don’t have the money. How many times have we heard this. I think Congressman Mark Sanford could help us out with this. I find it hard to believe with all the explosive population growth in Berkley that they don’t have the money. As I have stated before the money most likely went to a pet project.
We should put a 30,000 person march on the next Berkeley County Council meeting to be held on the 29th of May at 6:15 PM at the Berkeley County Government office building, 1003 Highway 52, Monks Corner. You must sign the book before the meeting to be able to address the council, you are only allowed two minutes to speak. You might also like to let them know all their job’s are in jeopardy on the 12th of June.
If you truly want a new boat ramp and some action on it show up and speak, remember the number of speakers, and attendees count a lot. Make them tired of hearing us.
If we were to be so lucky as to have 1000 speakers at two minutes each, it would take 33 hours to finish.
Go speak your mind, this has dragged on to long.
Here is the proper question to ask when they say they don’t have the money. “Where is, and has, the money coming in from Federal Excise Tax been going?” Read the small article in this link http://www.tridentdive.com/fishtax.pdf
All fishing tackle companies, ie Eye Strike, Z-Man, etc pay a 10% (!!!) Federal Excise Tax on all tackle sold. You don’t know about it because its buried in the price of your tackle. Let me tell you it sucks when a small business like mine has to write a check often in the thousands of dollars each quarter. Where does this go? If you look at the small green box on the link (page 2) its partly meant to go to … boating access. Wonder where it’s going? Me too. Probably something like, oh, here’s the money from FET…No need for it? OK good, put it in the general fund. Maybe I’m wrong, but why don’t we have the money for landings? Its B. S.
1966 13’ Boston Whaler w/ Merc 25 4 stroke “Flatty”
www.eyestrikefishing.com #predatorsstriketheeye
Optiker, I forwarded your FET document to my County Councilman. I also spoke with Bill Crosby who is running for re-election this year and he was unaware of the ramp situation.
He did say that there are some State funds available, but would first contact the county next week and and ask how much they actually needed. Possibly a step in the right direction or then again, lip service to a voter.
I will not support Peagler again. I will keep in touch with my Councilman and urge others to do the same. I will post any news that I hear.
this chaps my ass
it’s ALWAYS a tough budget year
Quarterpound email sent.
Do you really want a new boat landing at Bushy Park? The Berkley County Council meets tomorrow night at 6:15 PM in the Berkeley County government building, in Monks corner. Plan to attend and address the council.
99.9% will not attend, be one of the .01%
Corkman, PM received.
Trust council meeting is Tuesday, not Monday
Rozier would have had one built by now.Him and his brother are good boys.But seriously folks,there is a machine that can be driven through the mud to make a small channel.Then mark the channel with pvc pipe.This could be done once a year for a fraction of the cost of a new landing.
July 3, 2013 Post Courier article
GOOSE CREEK — The Fourth of July was the first time Jack Moore put his 21-foot boat in the water at the Bushy Park Landing.
It was also his last, said Moore, who lives in Moncks Corner.
“We churned mud all the way in,” he said. “I couldn’t find the channel. I won’t use this landing again. It needs to be dredged.”
Karen and John Dills, also of Moncks Corner, understand. They use the landing every weekend, and although they don’t have any difficulties with the shallow water in their flat-bottom boat, they see a lot of others who do.
“We don’t have problems,” said Karen Dills. “We just have to barrel in till we get here, but a lot of the big boats have problems. We see two to three get stuck on any given weekend.”
The boats typically get stuck at low tide, when some areas have as little as a foot of water.
“Over the years, there’s been shoaling near the river and it’s just gotten shallower and shallower,” said Berkeley County Engineer Frank Carson.
In April, Berkeley County Council approved spending $58,200 on a feasibility study to figure out the best options for dredging the site. Officials hope the problem will be fixed by 2016.
The site, which straddles Bushy Park Road just past the Naval Weapons Station, offers boaters access to both freshwater and saltwater.
On one side of the road, two ramps provide access to the freshwater Bushy Park reservoir, which is fed by Fosters Creek and the Back River.
The other side gives boaters saltwater access to the Cooper River. That’s where the problem is.
“This is one of the best places to put in,” said Tim Bazzle of Summerville. “But it would be a whole lot better if it were usable at low tide.”
In 1989, when the landing was renovated, the two double-lane launch ramps were usable at all times, according to a story that ran in The News and Courier at the time.
In 2007, the Coastal Counties Boat Ramp Study named the saltwater side the most popular and busiest coastal boat ramp on South Carolina’s coast, even while study participa
June 12, 2017 Post Courier article
MONCKS CORNER - The difference between fixing the Bushy Park landing and moving it down the road is about $1.6 million, according to a study on the project.
The current site, which straddles Bushy Park Road just east of the Naval Weapons Station, offers boaters access to both freshwater and saltwater, but the saltwater side has had issues for more than 15 years. Boaters often get stuck at low tide, when some areas have as little as a foot of water or are dry.
In August, Berkeley County commissioned a feasibility study to look at moving the salt water side of the landing to a nearby tract up the Cooper River that would offer better water access and more parking.
The finished study, which county officials are now reviewing, shows that it would cost about $4.7 million to build four ramps and 150 parking spaces at a 6-acre site that is part of a larger tract owned by Cooper River Partners adjacent to land owned by the county. The site is directly on deep water and would not impact wetlands or require dredging, officials have said.
Repairing the existing landing would cost about $3.1 million, but might not last, according to the report.
“The advantage of moving it is, we don’t have to deal with all the dredging,” Deputy Supervisor Les Blankenship said. Officials have said dredging would likely not last because the silt is very fine.
In 1989, when the current landing was renovated, the two double-lane launch ramps were usable at all times, according to a story in The News and Courier at the time.
But eight years later, participants in the Coastal Counties Boat Ramp Study complained about the shallow depth at the site, which the study called the most popular and busiest boat ramp on South Carolina’s coast.
• The project was included in Berkeley County’s list of one percent sales tax projects in 2014, Blankenship told a Berkeley County Council committee Monday. In addition, the project will be eligible for state and federal funding, he said.
As you can see by the two articles that I posted above, Berkeley county has chosen to ignore this problem for years. They are looking for grants that they don’t have to payback. The 1% tax we approved in 2014 included funding to repair/improve the boat ramp and the project is eligible for State and Federal funding
Good job quarterpound. Looks as if we will be waiting awhile.
quote:
Originally posted by corkmanGood job quarterpound. Looks as if we will be waiting awhile.
It’s a (**() shame I tell you.
Fishing Nerd
“skilled labor isn’t cheap, cheap labor isn’t skilled”