By BILL CHAISSON
[email protected]
CLAREMONT — In her comment to the Claremont City Council last night, Mayor Charlene Lovett said that she will be returning to Concord tomorrow, July 12, in order to testify in favor of building the Wild Goose Public Boat Launch on Lake Sunapee.
Lovett said that it was position of the City of Claremont that the public launch should be built because the state has a statutory obligation to provide public access to the lake. There is presently not adequate access; all boat launch sites are owned by the towns along the lake, said Lovett, and boaters report that the waiting time is often long.
The issue has a long history. According to the New Hampshire Fish & Game website: “The Wild Goose project dates back to 1990, when the Land Conservation Investment Program (LCIP) purchased a 133-acre tract of land and gave a parcel of 3.3 lakefront acres to Fish and Game with the understanding that it would be developed into the primary free public boat access to the state’s sixth largest lake.”
The Lake Sunapee Protective Association is opposed to constructing the Wild Goose boat launch at the planned site. According to the LSPA website, “LSPA showed its support for increased public access by contributing to the purchase of the Wild Goose site, but the proposal at that time was a carry-in, low footprint boat launch.” The project as is planned now is for larger motorized vessels to be backed into the lake on trailers, which would then be parked in a large lot adjacent to the ramp.
The LSPA has an alternate plan: “The State owns a more suitable site just 1½ miles away at Mount Sunapee State Park. Existing boat launch and parking can be improved to increase and consolidate launch capacity for motorized boats while leaving Wild Goose for carry-in boating access, swimming and on-shore fishing, as originally conceived.”
According to the Union Leader, this past winter Gov. Chris Sununu came out publicly opposed to the Wild Goose project as proposed. On Feb. 28 of this year the Lake Sunapee Public Boat Access Development Commission issued a report siding with the governor.
The cover letter that accompanies their report states: “The recommendations of this report provide the people of the state of New Hampshire with 1) near-term increase in access for trailered boats on Lake Sunapee, 2) allow the NH Department of Fish and Game to explore new options for deep water boat access points, 3) provide increased access for the public to Lake Sunapee, 4) end the long-term divisions and concerns associated with the Wild Goose boat launch site.”
The commission decided that the existing public boat launches, which (except for one at Lake Sunapee State Park) are free, were adequate. They also reported that emergency service personnel were not in favor of developing the proposed site. “In fact,” the letter reads, “Route 103, from its intersection with Route 103A to the Mount Sunapee traffic circle is already a dangerous stretch of road with a lengthy crash history.”
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.