Lake Michigan’s high water levels this summer are posing a new challenge for boaters who launch at the Park Avenue beach in Highland Park.
Power boats and large sailing vessels now have a much shorter boat ramp to use this year, while officials at the Park District of Highland Park have been unable to attach a floating dock that ordinarily would allow two boats to be tied to the dock at one time.
But area boaters say the greater concern has been the disintegration of a sunken barge that has served as a breakwater for the launch area for the past 37 years.
“I’ve been boating since 1989 and I’ve never seen the lake level this high,” said power boater Peter Mordini. “The water is right up to the top of the barge, which is unheard of.”
The barge typically creates a protected cove of still water and beachfront, allowing boaters to launch sailboats and power boats. The beach cove also is a popular starting point for people taking out kayaks and paddleboards.
The park district’s coastal engineer has offered eight repair and replacement options for the sunken barge that range in cost from $556,000 to about $1.6 million. Park district spokeswoman Liz Gogola said officials still are considering all the options.
Frances Jane Peszek, who regularly takes out a 24-foot power boat near the area for recreational activities, said nature likely will dictate the future state of the Park Avenue launching area.
“We really can’t do nothing about the pier. Once it disintegrates to the point where it’s not protecting the area, all that sand will be washed out. It will be pushed out into the lake,” Peszek said. “It will affect the safe harbor for kayakers, sailboaters and power boaters.”
Last year, the park district blocked off the barge for safety reasons. Boat traffic was limited to a single lane shared by both incoming and outgoing boats.
The shorter dock this year means only one boat — incoming or outgoing — can be tied to the dock at one time.
Gogola said park district officials determined that if they extended the boat ramp with the floating dock, it would create safety issues under current lake conditions, which include rising water levels following a record-setting rainfall this spring.
The floating dock had been clamped onto the top of a groin wall. But the near historic lake level left too small a distance between the water and the top of the groin wall for safe clamping, Gogola said. The dock could become dislodged or damaged as a result, she said.
Area boaters say they are being especially cautious when monitoring the weather because the process of getting 10 or 15 boats out of the water safely with a storm looming becomes more difficult with a shortened dock.
“It is taking longer to get into the water,” boater Chadd Berkun said of the conditions. “When it is a busy time, it cuts the number of people using the launch in half.”
The future of boating at Park Avenue also has been a source of friction in recent years.
Five years ago, city officials sparked an uproar after they announced plans to restrict access to the boat launch and beach to tighten security around the water treatment plant following a $35 million upgrade. The change was requested by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
As a result of the blowback, officials postponed closing off access while a task force studied other options. When the year-long study failed to produce a viable plan, park district officials then proposed eliminating power boating at Park Avenue beach altogether.
City officials then stepped in and allocated funds to widen a road east of the water plant, allowing boaters to access the boat launch and beach.
