County adds boat launch to park

A boat launch for non-motorized watercraft was completed this fall in an area at St. Joseph County’s newest park property.
Parks and Recreation director Jaymes MacDonald said the handicap-accessible launch was built outside the entrance to Covered Bridge Farm Park, located on the north side of the St. Joseph River, just north of the Langley Covered Bridge.
The 120-foot launch is the latest in a series of boat launches on the Prairie, Portage and Fawn rivers that MacDonald’s department has constructed in the past few years.
He said labor on the latest launch was done in house, making the $3,000 for lumber the project’s greatest expense.
A floating dock will be added in the spring and complement a similar dock at Reed River Park in downtown Mendon.
MacDonald said the goal is to enhance the five-mile route between the two points for canoeists and kayakers and make putting in and taking out watercraft an easier process.