A new launch site under construction off Rock River Ridge Road will make it easier for canoers and kayakers to access Sugar Creek.
Crawfordsville’s Parks and Recreation Department worked with nonprofit Friends of Sugar Creek to build the access point at the Rock River Landing Trailhead Park. The site is already used by paddlers entering and leaving the water but a little treacherous to reach.
“It’s further to get down there [once the site is completed], but much easier for someone to get in and out with a kayak or canoe,” said Fawn Johnson, parks and recreation director.
The city contracted with Crawfordsville-based Price Excavating for the project. A completion date has not been set. Permits for creek-related work were secured with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
The $25,000 project is being funded in part through the parks and recreation non-reverting fund. The City Council has been asked to move $15,000 from the riverboat fund to cover the rest of the cost. The council is expected to consider the request Monday.
This is the second city-owned creek launch site along with the Old Coke Plant on Lafayette Avenue.
“I think it will make a safer exit/entrance point for the people who are canoeing there in town,” said Cindy Woodall, executive director of the Friends of Sugar Creek. “It’s not quite finished yet, but when it is finished it will be nice.”
