Many hands made light work Monday morning during the construction of a new 20 foot by 120 foot long boat ramp at Waterloo Park.
Planned over the last two years by members of the Albany Chapter of the Northwest Steelheaders and the Linn County Parks Department, concrete began pouring about 9 a.m. with members of both groups working hard to lay it, power screed it flat and then float grooves diagonally to increase traction.
“About two or three years ago, we envisioned doing something to improve this area,” explained Don Wenzel of the Northwest Steelheaders. “The old ramp area was eroded, rutted. Four wheelers were causing major problems.”
Working with Brian Carroll, director of the Linn County Parks Department, the Steelheaders applied for a grant from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and received some $6,350 toward the $12,000 project.
The Linn County Surveyor surveyed the site and Barker Trucking of Albany provided an excavator and three 10-yard dump trucks for a day to prepare the ramp area.
“They really deserve credit,” Wenzel said of Barker Trucking. “They pulled almost 700 yards of material out of here.”
Carroll’s park’s maintenance crew formed the ramp and the Northwest Steelheaders tied off the reenforcing bar that runs the length of the job.
On Monday, some six steelheaders were on hand to assist the county crew. The Albany chapter has a membership of about 100.
“Our job today isn’t very rough,” Wenzel said. “We’re lifting the rebar up off the rock.”
The Steelheaders also plan to assist the county in landscaping the area.
“We worked with the ODFW who said the best time for this project was July to September when no fishing are spawning,” Wenzel said. “We also ended the ramp about 25 feet from the water line to assist with erosion control.”
Wenzel said the site is extremely popular during the spring run.
“Fishermen put in here and row up past the bridge,” Wenzel said.
Brian Carroll praised the Steelheaders for both their vision and tenacity to stick with the project.
“The Steelheaders have done a marvelous job,” Carroll said. “They pretty much put the whole thing together. Together, their volunteers and our guys, makes this a very workable project. This is the type of partnership other people would like to have.”