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Local Group Asking Council When Dive Ramp Will be Put Back in Prescott

A local group is asking Prescott Council when a dive ramp will be put back in town.

Prescott Dive Ramp Advocates’ Helen Cooper spoke to town council last night about scuba diving in the area and why they want the ramp in again.

Cooper says the ramps were taken out during the beautification of RiverWalk Park and never put back in. She adds there is a perception that scuba diving is banned in Prescott. Cooper says divers could go in by the rock but that makes it dangerous and not easy to get in and out. Cooper spoke about the “Diver’s Playground” in Prescott with anchors, staircase, S.S. Prescott and the first and only artificial reef in the St. Lawrence River. She adds it would be wonderful to bring divers back to the town.

A diving ambassador surveyed 736 divers in a four week window last summer in Brockville. The ambassador found that 85-percent of divers came from over 100 kilometers away, Cooper says that means diving is bringing people to the area. Tokens were also bought by 96-percent of those divers with funding going to things to be done in the park and adding to the dive park. There were 61.5-percent first time visitors who were surveyed. Also, 92-percent of those surveyed ate at least one meal at a local restaurant and 85-percent stayed overnight in the area.

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Cooper says there is over 1,700 names of divers and non-divers on a petition to support bringing dive tourism back to town by starting with putting the dive ramp back in.

Mayor Brett Todd says the parking arrangement will need to be looked at and have regulations in place.

Mayor Todd also says the dive ramp has been discussed many times and CAO Matthew Armstrong adds this has been added to Capital and Operational Project list. Armstrong says the town will work will Cooper to find out what infrastructure needs to go in.

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