Posted on March 17, 2020
BEARDSTOWN — After years of limited access to Beardstown Harbor, the city has begun the first phase of restoring access.
Dredging along the banks of its marina has begun.
Kelly Cagle, chairwoman of Beardstown Harbor, said the city has been working to get the marina open to boat access for several years but needed funds to cover the dredging.
“This has been a long time coming,” Cagle said. “The marina is part of our heritage and we want to see it open again.”
The removal of roughly 20,000 cubic feet of silt and dirt will take place over the next two months, opening up the marina and allowing for boat access, though access to the river will not be available until the second phase of the project.
Cagle said the dredging is necessary to restore access to the river.
“We are a river town without access to the river,” Cagle said. “We are the largest city between Grafton and Havana, we get a lot of boat and barge traffic on the river, but people have to go somewhere else to get let off.”
Issues arise when there are accidents along the river near Beardstown. First responders are not easily able to access the river.
Cagle said part of the issue is the amount of debris and silt deposited where the Illinois and Sangamon rivers intersect near the mouth of the harbor.
The marina dredging project is being funded by two grants, a $125,000 grant from state Rep. Norine Hammond and a $50,000 grant from state Sen. Jil Tracy. The grant funds were directed by the legislators through the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
The city also is providing money for the project from tax-increment financing (TIF) funds, and fundraising will help cover the rest of the $350,000 total cost.
The first phase should take at least two months to complete, but water levels and weather will be factors during the project, Cagle said.
The second phase of the project, which will clear the connection between the marina and the Sangamon River, is in a permitting stage, Cagle said.
“We have to change the permit with the U.S. Corps of Engineers before we can begin the second phase and that will likely cost another $350,000 to get out,” Cagle said. “Once we get an updated permit, we’ll start on what they will allow us to do. We can’t seek bids until then.”
Source: myjournalcourier
