Tara Kearsey
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jun 14/00) - Yellowknife boat enthusiasts will have to find another launching location this week.

The public boat launch in Old Town will be closed throughout the week as the concrete ramp is being replaced.

"We are replacing it because it's not level and we had a request from the Great Slave Yacht Club ... about concerns they had with the ramp," said Greg Kehoe, manager of public works.

A letter from the yacht club states the condition of the existing ramp creates problems for those loading and unloading their boats and also proves a safety hazard.

"It's generally for safety reasons that we're replacing it," said Kehoe.

When completed, the new boat launch will have two concrete ramps, allowing two boats to be launched simultaneously, with a floating dock located in the middle.

Kehoe said the work is scheduled to be completed on Friday and the public launch should be back in operation by Saturday.

"We're hopeful that it can be opened earlier ... but it depends on the weather," said Kehoe.

In the meantime, the government dock located nearby and several boat launches located along the Ingraham Trail are available for use.

"We're very motivated to get the boat launch completed by the weekend," said Kehoe.