The Boathouse Board is working to plan for the future and striving towards a boathouse that better serves all who use it - clubs and public tenants - and ideally help grow the sports of rowing and paddling throughout the Portland area.
In the short term- the next two years- our first priority is the replacement of the Boathouse dock. While our current dock and configuration has served us well in one form or another since 1988, the challenges with its alignment, anchoring, and permitting are mounting. In addition, as some of the clubs grow in size the fact of being only able to launch one eight or four at a time put considerable constraints on practices and blocks out time that public users could access the dock.
We want to move towards a dock that is permanently anchored, correctly permitted, safer for all users, doesn't ground in low water, and is easier to use in high currents. We'd also like to get to the point where we can launch or recover two eights - or numerous small boats - at any one time, allowing for more efficient practices for larger clubs and more open time on the dock for other users.
We have contracted with Flowing Solutions, LLC, and submitted permits for a new dock that will have 100+ feet of access, ideally on both sides, and be permanently anchored. We're attempting to permit a new alignment that will also avoid the seasonal grounding of the dock on the rock pile just downstream of our current alignment. That permit process is underway now. If all goes well we hope to be able to start construction in the summer of 2022.
While the OPCB has been diligently saving towards this project the cost of a new dock will be considerable. As we move through the permit process and get closer to actual construction we will be taking advantage of our new tax-exempt status and launching a fundraising campaign to close the gap on our costs. We hope many of you will be willing to invest in the future of our facility and help us make this positive change a reality.
Looking further into the future we're hoping to make a series of improvements to the boathouse at large - bathrooms, changing areas, better boat rack systems, and more - hopefully someday culminating in a new building and fully modernized facility. We're very fortunate to have the partnership and support of the Oaks Park Association and have their assurance that they want our presence in Oaks Park for the long run. Our hope is that by continuing to improve the facility we can also improve what we offer to the rowing and paddling community, bringing in more people who are new to our sports and offering a positive and welcoming place to access the river in Portland.