Mayor Calls for Boating Enthusiasts to Support Plans for Palmetto Boat Ramp

A site plan proposed by the CRA would incorporate 48 additional parking  spaces as well as mixed-use commercial space. The plan is still pending approval.

PALMETTO –Mayor Shirley Groover-Bryant asked that residents who utilize the Palmetto Boat Ramp attend a joint discussion between the Palmetto City Commissioners and the County Commissioners who will determine the fate of the Palmetto boat ramp on Jan. 3, 2012. The meeting will be held at the Manatee Civic Center at 5:00 p.m.  

”If you are a boater and like to use the Palmetto ramp, this is the time to get the latest information on the boat ramp,“ said Bryant.

The Palmetto boat ramp is notorious for its lack of available parking spaces dedicated exclusively to boat-trailer parking. Historically a vacant field adjacent to the ramp served as additional space for boating enthusiasts, but when property owners started towing cars and trailers a few months ago, the City of Palmetto expedited a resolution to the problem.

Initially, the Board of County Commissioners unanimously ordered county staff to assist the city with an interlocal agreement, designating up to $800,000 for the construction of a new parking lot across the street that would accommodate 48 boat trailers. The funding would be distributed to the city over an eight year period. The county staff assembled a different plan. Instead of providing a new parking lot, Charlie Hunsicker, director of natural resources, proposed redesigning the existing parking lot. Hunsicker’s plan would eliminate selected landscaping as well as 11 vehicle parking spaces and reconfigure the area to provide 10 additional boat trailer parking spaces.

”There seems to be some misunderstanding between the wishes of the County Commission and the direction of their staff,“ said Bryant. ”We thought we were going to work out an agreement on a much bigger project.“

Hunsicker proposed redesigning the existing parking lot. Hunsicker’s plan would eliminate selected landscaping as well as 11 vehicle parking spaces and reconfigure the area to provide 10 additional boat trailer parking spaces.

Last week, the Palmetto Community Redevelopment Agency took broad steps to solve the ongoing parking dilemma. The CRA signed a contract to purchase the first of four properties worth $1.3 million needed to construct 48 more spaces for boat trailers adjacent to the ramp. If the contract is approved, boaters could park on the vacant lot before construction commenced. The contract was the first step of a project designed to redevelop the blighted area under a Brownfield Revitalization initiative.

”The Boat ramp is critical to the rowing assets needed for the coming events on the river,“ said County Commissioner Joe McClash. ”We have sought additional parking for years.  The creative plan the CRA submitted, allowing for redevelopment, is consistent with County policy, and provides the critical needs which the WCIND funds were to be used and are available.“

The West Coast Inland Navigation District, or WCIND, allocates annual funding to the county for upkeep of public boat ramps. The county staff determines which of the nine county boat ramps receives the funding. According to city documents, the Palmetto boat ramp hasn’t received any major funding since 1991. Why the county has disregarded the ramp for so long could be due to the fact the boat ramp is the only one of nine public ramps that isn’t owned by the county. Two decades of neglect has left facilities in great need of repair. An unsigned interlocal agreement dated 1994 designated that ”maintenance and upkeep of the boat ramp shall be the responsibility of the county.“

On May 12, 1955 the boat ramp property was deeded to the City of Palmetto for one dollar. According to city records the boat ramp was permitted through a partnership with Manatee County in 1970 and in 1971.

”The new plan proposed by the CRA would stretch CRA dollars to finance a long term boat ramp parking, potentially improve the ramp, remove blight for the CRA, redevelop the property to a higher tax bracket, create jobs, answer storm water treatment requirements and deal with a known Brownfield at the gas station,“ said Bryant.