Kayak/canoe launch damaged in Belleville

During the last week of June, the $200,000 kayak/canoe launch at Horizon Park in Belleville was damaged, presumably by vandals.
Belleville Downtown Development Authority Coordinator Carol Thompson said the ladder support with the sign is gone and the ADA bench is damaged so handicapped boaters cannot use it. The sign explained how to use the launch equipment.
“We want to get it repaired, so it can be used,” Thompson said. The subject is expected to be discussed at the DDA’s regular July 19 meeting.
This is the second time the launch was damaged and had to have repairs. Although a boater and his son used a grappling hook to get the missing sign out of the lake last time, Thompson said it was too damaged to be used and had to be replaced. Last July, the DDA allocated up to $2,400 for those repairs.
The launch was funded by a $120,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, $38,186.15 from the city’s federal Community Development Block Grant funds, and the DDA. It was dedicated in August 2015.