Swimmers and scuba divers have a ramp to get in and out of the St. Lawrence River again.
The Town of Prescott has installed the water access ramp at the bottom of Centre Street, next to RiverWalk Park. CAO/Treasurer Matthew Armstrong says this is fantastic to have back. He says there is a lifting mechanism so they can pull the ramp up in the winter. The ramp was taken out during the beautification of RiverWalk Park.
Armstrong says signage will be coming this week or early next week to identify all of the hazards and cautions people need to be aware of. He says the ramp is the only access point, people are not to dive or swim off the dock. It’s also important to keep everything, like equipment, off of the paved areas and walkways. Another caution is not to interfere with boats that will be docking close by. Armstrong adds it’s also important for people to know it’s not an actively supervised area and so people would be swimming and scuba diving at their own risk.
Councillor Lee McConnell says he has noticed one issue of someone changing on the dock. He suggested keeping track of complaints as they may need to look into putting a facility near the ramp.