System will be installed on Waupaca’s Shadow Lake
By Angie Landsverk
A kayak launch will be installed on Waupaca’s Shadow Lake next spring.
The common council voted 10-0 last month to purchase an Ez-Dock Systems Kayak Launch at a cost of $4,306.
The funds will come out of the South Park Trust Fund.
That fund is made up of leftover donations for recent improvements at the park.
Parks and Recreation Director Andrew Whitman said the fund currently has $7,635 of accessible money available.
These funds may only be used at South Park and must be approved by the council, he said.
The launch will be located at Shadow Lake’s boat landing.
Whitman said it will be a small dock area.
In a memo to the mayor and council, he noted both Shadow and Mirror lakes have become popular places for kayaking in the community.
“Because of this usage, I see a need to have a kayak launch for better access for our community members,” Whitman wrote. “Kayak launches allow users to more easily launch and take out their kayaks in a safe manner.”
Search process
He researched and contacted three companies for options.
They were Ez-Docks System, The Dock Doctors and Carolina Docks.
Whitman said Ez-Docks System came up with the best solution to meet the city’s needs.
“This system can be used with our current dock that is located at the Shadow Lake boat launch,” he said. “Some of our concerns were the different water levels and our bad winters. This launch would adjust to various water levels and could be left in the water throughout the winter.”
The other two companies were not able to come up with an appropriate solution for the city, he said.
As a result, the city did not receive complete quotes from them, Whitman noted.
He said the Ez-Docks system is a “product used all over Wisconsin and left in the water with no issues from Wisconsin winters.”