St. Tammany News

deGeneres: Repairing the ramps could take up to three months

As of tomorrow, boating enthusiasts in Mandeville will have to launch their craft somewhere other than the Lakefront boat launch across from the Pontchartrain Yacht Club. Mandeville Department of Public Works Director David deGeneres said the entire launch will be shut down tomorrow for about three months while contractors mobilize and repair the damaged ramps.

"One ramp is damaged pretty bad with a large hole in it," he said.

The current ramps were produced using preformed concrete slabs stacked and bolted together many years ago. The wear and tear of the ebbing tide and relentless use from boaters has since deteriorated the bolts holding the blocks together, causing them to flip and potentially damage vessels.

"The new ramps will each be one monolithic slab underwater," deGeneres said, adding the new ramps will be user-friendlier.

Of course this will affect the countless sea-goers who frequent the launch, but deGeneres said nearby boat launches in Lacombe and Madisonville will have to be used as alternatives until this project is complete.

Some boaters, like one Mandeville resident who refused to give his name, feel the ramp reconstruction is a positive project for the city and will only add to the many opportunities already available to the public.

But others, like Covington residents Danny and Julie Emmons, don't see much need in replacing the existing ramps.

"The East Third Avenue ramp near our house in Covington is so terrible that this one looks fantastic," Julie Emmons said.

Ultimately, Mayor Eddie Price said the launch has needed renovation for some time now.

"The launch is in disrepair right now, so I think it's going to be a good thing," he said.