SUNBURY – More deflating details from DCNR officials as most of, if not all of, this year’s boating season will be wiped out due to delays in fabridam repairs. Shikellamy State Park On Site Manager Andrew Leidich said this during a webinar Tuesday.
He says the marina docks most likely won’t be installed at all this year, as fabridam repairs continue to be delayed after high water events from the fall, “Prior to and during the project this fall, due to tropical storms and tropical depressions hit the region in a short period of time. They were Fred, Henri, and Ida. These three events set the stage for a wetter than average fall.”
The project to replace Bag 6 of seven eight-foot bags at the fabridam was scheduled to take place last fall. Leidich says there’s still hope for a partial boating season by late summer, as work likely won’t be able to start until July. But he says the main marina boat ramp will be open,
“The boat ramps still remain open. However, it will be used at your own risk. So, exercise caution. But smaller fat-bottom boats will be able to still use the boat ramp.”
However, parking spaces at the main boat ramp will be reduced. Park officials also might install the courtesy boat ramp docks, depending on conditions. Leidich says it’s still hard to estimate if private docks can be installed.
In addition, Leidich says there’s also delays creating a gravel roadway that allows crews to move machinery to the fabridam, and there’s other additional work needed, “There’s additional work found. During the removal of bag six it was discovered that some of the clamp in plates came loose. But the plates will be inspected and tested later this year when conditions allow.”
Leidich says construction on that gravel roadway began in mid-September but was quickly delayed due to the river levels.
