Pocasset River stairway to attract kayakers, afford water access
POCASSET — Kayakers will soon have a new Pocasset River access point 200 feet from the water along the eroding riverbank’s upper reaches.
The Bourne Conservation Commission has approved a plan developed by Engineering Technician Tim Lydon and the Conservation Department for a set of stairs to be built at the new pocket park created just north of the so-called Singing Bridge along Shore Road.
Lydon said the stairway project is out to bid. The stairs will be situated next to the bridge in a designated Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). He said Board of Selectmen member Peter Meier’s suggestion of a gazebo being placed near the stairs proved too costly for the project.
Meier on May 10 said he thinks the idea is “still a good one. Perhaps we could go to a fall town meeting, seeking CPA (Community Preservation Act) funds. And maybe Upper Cape Tech students could build or install a gazebo.”
Kayakers during recent summers have gravitated in increasing numbers to the river between Tahanto and Wenaumet. The channel and side pockets of built-up sediment were dredged this past winter for the first time in 50 years.
The Natural Resources Department will construct a kayak rack near the stairs. Rack users will pay a $25 fee at the department office in Town Hall.
A stormwater remediation plan and parking lot improvements for nearby Monks Park, meanwhile, are also planned with Conservation Commission review. The park attracts kayakers and others seeking water access. The area with haphazard parking at times is classified as a velocity flood zone with a narrow entrance beneath a train trestle.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Pocasset River stairway to attract kayakers, afford water access
