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July 18, 2006
TAFT ANNOUNCES HURON RIVERFRONT ACQUISITION
TO INCREASE PUBLIC BOATING AND FISHING ACCESS
Former ConAgra Foods site to be redeveloped by the City of Huron
 HURON Governor Bob Taft today joined Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Director Sam Speck, Huron Mayor Terry Graham and local officials to celebrate the state’s acquisition of a 19.8-acre peninsula where the Huron River enters Lake Erie. The site, a former ConAgra Foods facility, is a key piece of Huron’s waterfront that the City of Huron will redevelop to provide boating and fishing access with launch ramps, docks and parking facilities.
“Public access to a revitalized riverfront has been a community goal here for many years,” Taft said. “This state and local partnership is a great step toward achieving that vision, creating a magnet for business and tourism while improving public access to some of the best fishing that Lake Erie has to offer.”
Located at the mouth of the Huron River, the site was purchased by the ODNR Division of Wildlife for $3.25 million from the division’s Boater-Angler Fund, which comes from motor fuel taxes paid by boaters. A portion of the purchase is subject to reimbursement by the federal government through its Aid in Sportfish Restoration Program.
“We are grateful to the state for assisting Huron with this project, which will bring dramatic improvements to the city’s riverscape,” said Huron Mayor Terry Graham. “It’s opening up exciting opportunities for increased economic and recreational activity along our waterfront and should be a real boost for the entire region.”
Taft, Director Speck, Mayor Graham and other local officials signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the event agreeing to a state-local partnership to redevelop the site.
In June, the City of Huron applied for a $3.14 million grant from the ODNR Division of Watercraft’s Cooperative Boating Access Fund to build launch ramps and docks at the area. A stipulation of the grant will require the facility to be available to the public at no cost.
Currently, no significant public boating access to Lake Erie exists between the cities of Sandusky and Vermilion. The new ramps will provide easier access to popular Lake Erie fishing grounds, including Ruggles Reef.
Once completed, the new ramp area will provide a safe, calm place for boaters to launch and take out their vessels as the location is naturally sheltered from the lake’s wind and wave action. The city also envisions a future riverfront development to include restaurants, retail stores, condominiums and greenspace.
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