The city of Kenmore has made connecting its residents and community to the waterfront a priority. But it is now putting its money where its symbolic resolutions are.

The city is set to spend nearly $200,000 to enhance water access from the dock at Log Boom Park and help upgrade improvements by the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WSDFW) at the boat launch by the Sammamish River Bridge.

“It has always been one of the top economic goals to enhance the city’s relationship with the waterfront,” said Kenmore City Manager Rob Karlinsey. “We want to connect the community to the water.”

The city will invest $130,000 on the very long pier at Log Boom Park and the east side of the Sammamish River Bridge to give residents access to Lake Washington for non-motorized boats. City officials plan to install ramps and floats on the pier.

“As it is now it is too high off the surface of the water,” said Karlinsey.

The project will not be completed until mid-July.

The pier is about as long as a football field and Karlinsey said that it used to be about 100 feet longer. The pier was once used to back a railroad train down and dump logs into the water. Pilings can be seen at the end of the pier.

The ramp will be installed at the first elbow off the walking path where the pier connects to the land along with two floats.

The city has also contacted the owner of WhatsSup Stand Up Paddle and Surf in Bothell. The business rents kayaks and stand up paddle boards at the Bothell Landing.

“WhatsSup will be opening up at Log Boom Park this season,” said WhatsSup owner and captain Steve Holmes. “We are going into our third season at Bothell Landing Park. We have customers who live in Kenmore and others who would like to paddle Lake Washington.”

Holmes said that WhatsSup’s goal is to get people out on the water in their neighborhood.

The area has quite a bit of water traffic but it should not be a problem for the new business.

“We don’t foresee an impact on the business,” said Holmes.

The city is also planning to install another ramp and float on the east side of the Sammamish River Bridge in 2014.

Kenmore boat launch

The small parking lot on the west side of the Sammamish River Bridge is used by many local residents to launch boats into Lake Washington. The boat launch will become more useful later this year as the WSDFW is investing $618,000 into the spot.

“It comes out of the jobs now capital funds package,” said WSDFW project engineer John Hansen.

The project will include installing a larger boat launch, which if used to capacity can handle two boats at a time. The project also includes paving the parking lot and restrooms.

Kenmore has agreed to pitch in $65,000 to plumb the bathrooms and bring electricity to the structure.

One of the bigger impacts could be with traffic. On hot summer days the number of boats waiting to launch can backup traffic heading south on 68th Avenue Northeast.

“We’re in a limited site no matter what we do,” said Hansen. “We will delineate the parking and add a 24-foot wide ramp. If people launch two at a time, it will speed up the queuing process.”

Construction on the project will begin in November to avoid conflicts with the current boating season.