Office of the Secretary |
Nicholas Throckmorton, FWS (202) 208.5636
|
For Immediate Release: Feb. 17, 2004 |
Secretary
Norton Announces $859,000 Grant
to Improve San Francisco Boating Facilities |
Interior Secretary Gale Norton
today announced an $859,000 grant to help the State of California improve
boating access on the San Francisco waterfront. The grant, awarded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under its Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) program, will be matched by $1.7 million in funds and in-kind services from partners including the California Department of Boating and Waterways, the Port of San Francisco, and Pier 39 Ltd. The project will result in
better and safer facilities for recreational boaters and increased tourism
in the area. Specifically, the grant funds will help fund a one-time dredging
of the West Marina to allow access for large, deep drafting transient
boats. In addition, the project will reconstruct transient docks that
are in disrepair. The renovated docks will provide
17 boat slips for transient boats up to 60 feet in length, resulting in
an additional 9,300 transient boaters to the area. These recreational
boaters are expected to pump an estimated $1.5 million into the local
economy. "We understand the importance
of having safe and accessible tie-up facilities and the economic impact
that boating can bring to local economies," Norton said. "The
BIG program works with partners to improve recreational boating and fishing
opportunities. It strengthens community ties to the water's edge by enhancing
access to recreational, historic, cultural, natural and scenic resources
for millions of boat owners." The council, a federally chartered
body which advises the Secretary of the Interior and the Service on recreational
fishing and boating issues, made an initial funding recommendation to
the Service based on a review of project proposals by a council-appointed
committee. The council's Boating Infrastructure
Grant Program Review Committee members included: Mike Hough, Kentucky
Department of Fish and WIldlife Resources; Ryck Lydecker, BoatUS; Jim
Hardin, Grady White Boats; Jim Frye, Marina Operators Association of America;
John Schwartz, Michigan Sea Grant Extension Program; and Doug Boyd, Coastal
Conservation Association. Much of the BIG program is
funded by fuels taxes, paid by boaters, deposited into the Aquatic Resources
Trust Fund. The BIG program has two levels
of funding, Tier-1 and Tier-2. The Tier-2 portion of the BIG program provides
for larger projects to compete for available funding. The Service received
32 proposals from 17 states requesting a total of $17.8 million of federal
funding from the Tier-2 portion of the BIG program this year. Due to current
funding limitations, approximately $1 million was available for Tier-2
projects. Under the Tier-1 portion, all states and territories can receive up to $100,000 for docking facilities for transient, non-trailerable boats without competing against other proposals. Thirty states and two territories requested funding for the Tier-1 portion of the program this fiscal year and received approximately $3.07 million of funding. For more information about the BIG program, contact the Boating Infrastructure Grant Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Federal Aid, Mailstop MBSP-4020, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203 or call 703-358-2156. -DOI- |