Tara Kearsey
Northern News Services

Yellowknife ( May 26/00) - Plans are under way for a new public boat launch in the city.

Dave Jones, a planner for the city's planning and lands division, says the area being considered for the development is located near Giant mine and the Great Slave Cruising Club.

"We're undertaking some work to decide how we best go about doing that," says Jones.

Mayor Dave Lovell estimates the project will cost approximately $25,000. Funding sources for the initiative were not specified, but Lovell says they could be covered by the city's contingency fund, the community services fund or the marina reserve fund.

The land being considered for the boat launch is currently owned by the territorial government. Miramar, formerly known as Royal Oak, now has a lease to the land.

Tim Mercer, the city's director of corporate services, says Miramar is going to assign their interest in the lease of that section of land to the City of Yellowknife for a 60-year period.

"We're just in the process now of finalizing those documents ... we're very, very close and I was actually on the phone with our lawyers today for about an hour (speaking) on it," he told Yellowknifer on Wednesday.

Mercer said the issue will be coming before city council within the next month.

"The hold-up is with the territorial government right now because I think that everyone wants it to happen, it's just a matter of when," says Lovell.

Lovell says the site is a prime location for a public boat launch, especially since there are very few areas on Great Slave Lake that are accessible for such a project.

"It's very accessible, there's plenty of room there for parking and plenty of room for the boat launch ... that's why it's being built there. It's about the only place we can," says Lovell.

The mayor says he doesn't expect the boat launch to be in operation at the start of the boating season, but hopes to have it completed by June.

"Maybe that's pushing it, but as soon as we can do it we'll do it and I sure as heck hope it's before June is over," says Lovell.