St. Charles Parish is on the move with shovels hitting the ground for the much-awaited Des Allemands Boat Launch, as reported on Tuesday. Local boaters and outdoor enthusiasts are in for a treat with this new project said to improve boating access, bolster tourism, and beef up infrastructure, according to the St. Charles Parish.
Introducing the launch, Parish President Matthew Jewell explained that the current limited public launch capacity has throttled access to nearby waterways; this expansion is a welcome change, creating not just a larger access point, but also boosting local fishing activity and outdoor recreation, as he told the St. Charles Parish News. The initiative also aligns with Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA)'s strategy of utilizing Deepwater Horizon settlement funds to open up public access and invigorate coastal recreation, CPRA Executive Director Michael Hare remarked.
The Des Allemands Boat Launch comes packed with amenities, featuring launch sites, a pier, docks, two fish cleaning stations, and ample parking over an expanse catering for more than 100 vehicles; the docks alone stretching over 200 feet, beckoning to fishermen and families alike. Taking off at WPA Road and US Highway 90 on land gifted by Chevron back in 2021, the project is slated for construction commencement within the year's first quarter and wraps up in roughly 12 months, as detailed by the St. Charles Parish.
Works for the new facility will be in the capable hands of Cycle Construction Company LLC, with the design blueprint drafted by Duplantis Design Group, the project is propelled by a significant financial windfall of $1,841,116 in NRDA funds from the CPRA and $514,008.95 in RESTORE Act Direct Component funds, with the Treasury chipping in; in total, the project rings in at $4,989,859, mention of the funding being duly acknowledged as per the Treasury's stipulations and without necessarily reflecting the Treasury's standpoint, as per the St. Charles Parish official announcement.
