The Ripley village council met on March 9 and hosted a tense conversation about the upcoming boat dock project. Among the pending project discussion, the council also hired Art Owens as the new part-time village administrator.
The village was awarded $425,000 in the form of a biennial budget allotment from the state of Ohio. The funds will be used to build a concrete boat dock, called Freedom Landing. There is currently a plan in place for the dock that was drafted by Ripley resident Jeff Klump of K4 Architecture. During Tuesday’s meeting, Ripley residents Mark Newdow and Ben Pedigo presented an alternative draft for the landing dock, which they proposed would be better suited in front of the Lyon’s club.
Newdow and Pedigo detailed that the alternate location would reduce the amount of debris that is collected due to the concave shape of the shore in Ripley.
“We have a drift problem we think will be greatly exacerbated if this landing is put in the (currently proposed) place,” Pedigo said.
Newdow’s and Pedigo’s proposal encourages debris to be diverted by a concrete slab that is currently in the river, which would push it to the river’s center current to be swept away.
During the meeting, Ripley residents expressed concern that the current plan would block the view of Ripley’s Front Street.
Jane Zachman, a Ripley resident, has been involved with the development of the dock’s current plans for the past two years, and said that the placement, as well as the design were carefully considered by Klump, of K4 Architecture.
“The architect looked at all of the places the Delta Queen stopped to see what would be best for Ripley,” she said.
The design hosts two levels of docking availability — one level is three feet off the water to accommodate large boats including steamboats and the likes of the Delta Queen. The other level is one foot to allow personal watercraft to dock.
The design “gives a nod to the Underground Railroad,” Zachman said as the main feature is the “Freedom Light” that is modeled after the light that was in the Rankin House as a beacon of freedom for slaves crossing the river.
Zachman said that this proposal is still in the beginning stage and will use a portion of the $425,000 to fund topographical, hydrological, and environmental studies.
Both proposals have the same motive, which is to boost Ripley’s tourism and access to visitors from the river.
Mayor Bingaman urged the council to hold a Riverfront Committee meeting to further discuss options and for council to choose a proposal. The public is encouraged to attend the meeting on Tuesday, March 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the village’s office on Waterworks Drive.
As the discussion moved from the landing dock, the mayor brought to light that 17 of the village’s fire hydrants are broken and need repair.
The council then entered executive session where they hired Art Owens as a part-time village administrator, following the departure of former administrator Phil White.
The next council meeting will be held March 23 at 6:30 p.m. at the village office.
