Public River Access for Non-Motorized Watercraft

[dougskiles]

First Coast activist's river access plan gets state attention, possible funding
Proposal to offer more sites draws interest from state
By Drew Dixon

What started in an obscure subcommittee at Jacksonville City Hall as a proposal for increased public access to the St. Johns River, has gained enough traction that a state agency is taking notice.

The incoming North Florida commissioner of the Florida Inland Navigation District, Aaron Bowman, said it’s now time to give serious consideration to the proposal by local activist Tom Ingram. At a subcommittee meeting for the Jacksonville Waterways Commission Nov. 2, Ingram suggested opening nine sites along the river to public, non-motorized watercraft.

All nine sites are already owned by Jacksonville, and Ingram said the city would only have to clean up the shoreline along the properties so that kayaks, canoes and kiteboards could enter the water.

“There is a network of kayakers out there,” said Bowman, who was appointed by Gov. Rick Scott this month. “I think it would be great for this area not only to support the local folks but, from a business perspective, travelers and people who are interested in coming here, staying for a while and seeing what we got.”

And that’s what’s driving Bowman’s interest in Ingram’s plan. The Waterways Commission already agreed to review Ingram’s proposal, and Bowman’s position with the navigation district is key because it could swing funding for improvements to the public sites that would permit non-motorized access.

The Florida Inland Navigational District is the state agency that oversees funding for waterways projects. Most prominently, the agency is associated with funding projects and dredging along the Intracoastal Waterway. It receives tax dollars from coastal property owners and was recently credited with paying about $100,000 of the cost for the new 800-foot pier and boardwalk at Tideviews Preserve in Atlantic Beach that opened this fall.

Bowman said the Ingram plan for the St. Johns River would be a natural fit for navigation district funding.

“We’ve got a lot of opportunity and all it would take is a little initiative,” Bowman said. “The nice thing about this is that you don’t have to be a wealthy person to build a canoe or rent one. … It really opens up the door for a lot of different access to a lot of different people.”

Bowman acknowledged it may take some time to cobble together a funding plan for Ingram’s proposal. But the plan is “definitely” on the radar of the state agency.

Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown’s staff is also taking notice. Brown’s chief of staff, Chris Hand, said staff is already reviewing the Ingram proposal. But it’s in the early stages of analysis.

“We’re interested in increasing public access points. We’re considering the sites that he [Ingram] proposed as well as a few others,” Hand said Tuesday. “Members of our staff have met with him and we’re interested in what he has to say. That’s helped us focus our own analysis on ways to increase river access.”

For his part, Ingram said his modest proposal three weeks ago has taken on a life of its own.

“Yeah, I do think we have some momentum,” Ingram said. “I really haven’t heard anyone at any government level express opposition to a proposal to take existing city parks and improving them to allow access.”

Even Ingram acknowledged he’s somewhat surprised that a state agency such as the Florida Inland Navigation District is already taking notice of his plan. But Ingram plans to seize the opportunity, even though he said it may be a while before the money comes.

“I’m really excited about it. I’m glad that we have got that attention. I’m really thankful,” Ingram said, adding City Hall interaction is equally exciting.

The next step, Ingram said, is for the city to make clear that the sites are public property. Then the city needs to determine the cost for preparing the sites for access that he said “could be opened with very little money.”

drew.dixon@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4098

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2011-11-25/story/first-coast-activists-river-access-plan-gets-state-attention-possible

Way to go, Tom!  I would live to see this happen and can't wait to get involved with it - particularly at Riverfront Park.

[ricker]

Imagine you flip your canoe, and you're miles from your launch site.

Like a tired dog who jumped in a swimming pool and cannot climb out.

What do you do?

Having flipped a canoe below the Buckman one wintery night, I can tell you it sudddenly becomes a far scarier experience than you may have never imagined.

There are far too few ingress and egress points along our greatest natural asset.

[Noone]

Another great post. Where is everybody? Is Tom OK? At the 5/3/15  sitting next to Scott Wilson at the DIA subcommittee meeting of Downtown Experience that didn't have an agenda there was a couple of pictures of the recent 4/27/13 River City Challenge and absolutely no information. Zero feedback. These are the experts of everything.

Is Downtown going to be a DESTINATION from the Waterway? On Jacksonville.com what is the Baker Tract property on Mill Cove?

If you flip a canoe or kayak you can't have enough places to get out safely. And that is the biggest message that is being hidden by not allowing the River City Challenge people to speak and share those concerns and possible solutions in a Public meeting that can result in legislation that Tom Ingram is advocating. We are so LOST.

Pick and Choose the winners and losers.

How much money was raised for the North Florida Land Trust Last Year and this year? What an opportunity for the kayak community to share what is good and what needs improvement for kayaking DOWNTOWN. Terry Lorrince remember way back when and the presentations before DVI by everyone. How come there hasn't been a presentation before Waterways or to the Commissioners of FIND? Will there be a presentation before the full Board of the DIA?

Councilman Redman, Remember all the special meetings and presentations not only in Duval County but the other counties as well about opening up the river to kayaking?

[PeeJayEss]

Imagine you flip your canoe, and you're miles from your launch site.

Like a tired dog who jumped in a swimming pool and cannot climb out.

What do you do?

Having flipped a canoe below the Buckman one wintery night, I can tell you it sudddenly becomes a far scarier experience than you may have never imagined.

There are far too few ingress and egress points along our greatest natural asset.

Hopefully, you start with greater foresight than the dog. I don't doubt that having an "flipped" canoe on a "winter ""night" "below the Buckman" is a scary experience, but I think there are several things in your statement that are larger issues than the number of river access points. If you don't have the skill to keep a craft right-side up or to flip it back over when it does, you probably should not be out on the river in the first place. And if the water and air temperature are such that being wet and far from land could threaten your life, particularly if you can't keep the boat upright, you definitely should reconsider. There are plenty of arguments for more river access, but I don't think safety of flipped paddlers is one.

[ricker]

Imagine you flip your canoe, and you're miles from your launch site.

Like a tired dog who jumped in a swimming pool and cannot climb out.

What do you do?

Having flipped a canoe below the Buckman one wintery night, I can tell you it sudddenly becomes a far scarier experience than you may have never imagined.

There are far too few ingress and egress points along our greatest natural asset.

Hopefully, you start with greater foresight than the dog. I don't doubt that having an "flipped" canoe on a "winter ""night" "below the Buckman" is a scary experience, but I think there are several things in your statement that are larger issues than the number of river access points. If you don't have the skill to keep a craft right-side up or to flip it back over when it does, you probably should not be out on the river in the first place. And if the water and air temperature are such that being wet and far from land could threaten your life, particularly if you can't keep the boat upright, you definitely should reconsider. There are plenty of arguments for more river access, but I don't think safety of flipped paddlers is one.

I wasn't alone, and the textbook method of righting the vessel wasn't working (due to the draft, length, narrow beam and general heft of the associated gear attached.(trolling, sealed baitwells)
thanks for judging.

We swam back to Epping pushing the turned canoe and made it fine.
Very cold. And exhausted. Nothing some fireside chicken soup couldn't help.


While you're on a roll seemingly having never experienced this, if not enhanced safety while entering and leaving the water,  what reason tops the list for you,


oh enlightened one?

[PeeJayEss]

I wasn't alone, and the textbook method of righting the vessel wasn't working (due to the draft, length, narrow beam and general heft of the associated gear attached.(trolling, sealed baitwells)
thanks for judging.

I don't think my snark deserves thanks, but this does very much sound like you went out of your element ill-prepared. So you couldn't right the vessel because of its dimensions or because of how you loaded it? That's hardly an excuse. If you aren't sure you can right it, and there is a chance you could flip it, you shouldn't be out there.

While you're on a roll seemingly having never experienced this, if not enhanced safety while entering and leaving the water,  what reason tops the list for you,

Rights of the public to access and use public resources?

Your line about experience is an assumption about me. Beyond that, the premise that I don't know what I'm talking about because I haven't had your experience of poorly and unsafely planning a water excursion is pretty ridiculous.

[ricker]

Hardly ill prepared, unsafely loaded or out of my element.
Even with life vests, which we were wearing, any novice paddler near the bow- as was my friend - can dip their oar at the wrong time in a swift current, and overboard you can go.

It could even happen to you.

[bobsim]

  Thanks for sharing the negative experience Ricker, you may have saved someone from the same situation. My take on your misfortune is that you were the experienced paddler in the boat, if this is correct the responsibility of safety is yours. The river was in a good mood that night and you're still with us. A good learning experience for you and another positive post about wearing a PFD while on the water, once again - thanks for sharing it.

  The thought of more launches making the river safer is a bit of a stretch though. Accessibility and safety are unrelated, in fact one could argue the opposite. You could pour concrete along both sides of the river, light it up at night and even put hot dog carts out there and folks would still drown in it.

  If I'm in the water at night and can't re-enter the boat all I want for Christmas is a place to stand up. You did well and got home, count your blessings or thank the spirits but wanting a convenient area to exit is asking too much.

[Noone]

Going forward and the title of this thread is Public River Access and the recent obvious legislative manipulation by OGC in a conspiracy to defraud with our ad valorem property tax revenue in a conspiracy with multi county agencies for immediate and direct personal gain for members of Boards, Trusts, and Foundations should have everyone saying who will be joining Tony Nelson in Federal prison.

Dozens of examples to choose from. Terry Lorrince with DVI, Don Redman and Scott Wilson in Dist. 4 and all anyone has to do is just pull the tape of the meetings. Public River Access and kayaking Downtown can go together. Just think about it. We just had back to back world wide International events to promote our river Downtown in a kayak race. Super event. So where is everybody? Next meeting of the Downtown Experience is June 7. Who wants to make some NOISE? Who wants to showcase our BOLD Downtown?

And Ricker let's kayak together again Downtown. Any Waterway can be dangerous and for all of us who share in the challenge to engage it in whatever level one chooses the opportunity to exit at various parts of this new Authority Zone should be enhanced especially when reaching out to our new Regional Partners.

Jimmy Orth has pictures of me in a capsized vessel during a cleanup of Pottsberg Creek. You can read the threads for yourselves on Hogans Creek under Neighborhoods. I've had people immediately become swimmers and if for a second you can make their experience better for them and anyone else especially Downtown then Make It Happen! The fear and intimidation that is being cocooned around all of us by a few needs to emerge as a free economic butterfly for us all.

[Noone]

Every issue is worth getting into and after reading a number of columns in the Times Union it was time to make an Urban Core tactical BOLD (Building Our Local Divide) kayak paddle that needs a Mayor Brown kayak logo.

With an outgoing tide I launched at the the site of the signing of the River Accord that was on the Southbank Riverwalk. It was a very low tide and on the opposite side you could see the silted in Southbank for 100's of yards. I brought my fishing poles.My destination was the brand new No Fishing signs that was never before Waterways on the Northbank.

I had dead shrimp and some mud minnows. I picked up the bait at ABT in Arlington and when I went over the Mathews there were all kinds of boats and people on Exchange Club Island. So as I'm paddling across to my destination the boat traffic is heavy.
The one boat is just booking it and as I position myself to take the wake head on another boat is a few hundred yards behind that one that is booking it. To the second boats credit he throttles down and passes me without a huge wake.

The fishing was awesome. Started with a 17" red with 9 spots and then the next one was a 19" red with 19 spots. Just kept thinking of the Times Union spot tournament and that 19 spotter would have been a $7000 dollar fish this year. Oh well. But the fishing kept getting better. Next was a 21" drum that went into the cooler followed by a 19" trout.

The Public Trust has just been destroyed in this community.

I'm now in the EMPTY Berkman marina. That's right not even one boat and just staring at the Jim Love, Kevin Kuzel, Berkman Floating dock compromise next to the brand new Riverwalk connection to Bay St. misrepresented by OGC during the 2013 FIND grant application process and thinking who should be immediately disbarred. Couple that with Palms Fish Camp next to a FIND project and the guy is going to get a million bucks and he never even opened up the door. We also have 2009-442 and the Corrupt Council Area Reef and a back room deal for the naming rights with a promise to pay. And lets not forget RAM and the Public Floating dock that can only be used when RAM is open.

Now an active piece of legislation 2013-384 and we are going to give the armory a lease agreement for a buck a year and it's next to Hogans Creek and just outside of the new DIA zone. Will there be an amendment to allow access for parking and Hogans Creek?

So many more examples of the crushing of the Public Trust. But on a positive note it was a breathtaking day on our St. Johns River our American Heritage River a FEDERAL Initiative in our newly created and highly restricted DIA zone. The paddle back over to the Southbank was met with heavy boat traffic but very considerate boaters. I brought a blue bag and in this spirit of Vivian Harrell did a blue bag cleanup at the JEA site. It appears that new fencing is going up everywhere. What was wrong with the old fence? Who is the new guy at JEA? There is no new guy. How much is this costing us? Anyone?

I left the blue bag just outside of the new Country Boy fence sign. Then I took it back to Jacksonville's Downtown International Redneck kayak launch that had a Country Boy fence sign.

Visit Jacksonville!

I am Downtown and why you aren't.

[Noone]

Another great post. Where is everybody? Is Tom OK? At the 5/3/15  sitting next to Scott Wilson at the DIA subcommittee meeting of Downtown Experience that didn't have an agenda there was a couple of pictures of the recent 4/27/13 River City Challenge and absolutely no information. Zero feedback. These are the experts of everything.

Is Downtown going to be a DESTINATION from the Waterway? On Jacksonville.com what is the Baker Tract property on Mill Cove?

If you flip a canoe or kayak you can't have enough places to get out safely. And that is the biggest message that is being hidden by not allowing the River City Challenge people to speak and share those concerns and possible solutions in a Public meeting that can result in legislation that Tom Ingram is advocating. We are so LOST.

Pick and Choose the winners and losers.

How much money was raised for the North Florida Land Trust Last Year and this year? What an opportunity for the kayak community to share what is good and what needs improvement for kayaking DOWNTOWN. Terry Lorrince remember way back when and the presentations before DVI by everyone. How come there hasn't been a presentation before Waterways or to the Commissioners of FIND? Will there be a presentation before the full Board of the DIA?

Councilman Redman, Remember all the special meetings and presentations not only in Duval County but the other counties as well about opening up the river to kayaking?

How did the River event at RAM go this weekend? Anyone?

Thanks for moving my post. Didn't intend for it to go to this thread. It's all still positive

[Noone]

Need some Mayor Alvin Brown's kayak adventures Tshirts. Contacted Kelley Boree and they all had been handed out at the special event. Contacted David DeCamp and have yet to hear back. Wanting to continue in joining Mayor Brown in making Downtown a Destination and not a pass through on our St. Johns River our American Heritage River a FEDERAL Initiative in our new and highly restricted DIA zone. Send me a PM if you have one or two. Thanks.