Jacksonville Mayor Andy Ezard announced during the City Council meeting Monday that an informal ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at the new boat ramp this Thursday at 11:00 am.
The ramp project was approved by the Council in September of last year and work was completed in October.
Lakes site manager Brett Gilbreth said last year the plan designed an entirely new boat launch to be constructed, allowing for boats to be launched in deeper water than the old ramp could provide.
The new boat ramp was made possible after the city received a $200,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources in 2019 for the project.
The ramp is set to the east of the existing wood dock near Kiwanis Grove. The location of the ramp addresses a long-standing complaint from residents about using the lake.
Gilbreth said following the approval of the project, that not having deeper water to launch in was one of the biggest reasons why people haven’t utilized Mauvaisterre in the last several years.
Mayor Ezard says everyone is invited to the ceremony. He says it will be informal and brief, but the project and anticipated increase in the use of Lake Mauvaisterre deserves recognition.