ARLINGTON — When Haller Park opened in 1966, it had a boat launch. But the ramp has been out of commission for 20 years.

City stormwater manager Bill Blake said that, for years, the repair of the boat launch was considered too expensive and too difficult to obtain permits for.

“Finally, I just asked the city, do you mind if I try?” said Blake, whose office in city public works overlooks Haller Park.

Blake consulted with architectural designers from Washington State University and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, then applied for permits and grants.

“Instead of having a ramp that extended out into the middle of the river, we decided to have it just cover the slope, to get over the hill safely, and in and out of the river easily,” Blake said. “Especially because it’s right at the convergence of the two forks of the Stillaguamish River, you have a lot of whirlpools and extra energy there.”

Not only have all the local, state and federal permits been approved, but the city has received $10,000 from the Stillaguamish Tribe, $16,000 from the Arlington hotel/motel tax grant and $300 from the Evergreen Fly Fishing Club to make the project possible.

The new launch will provide river access to support kayaks, drift boats, rafts, inner tubes, and rescue and scientific research pontoon boats. The new ramp will be relocated to the west of the existing one, for improved sustainability.

“It was easier to permit,” Blake said. “We’re not building it to launch big boats with big motors. We’re already dealing with an endangered chinook population, plus the river is so shallow anyway.”

E&D Excavating of Arlington is donating time to install the concrete ramp planks from Cuz Concrete through Oct. 1, and the city is calling for volunteers to help hand-place 700 interlocking paving tiles on Oct. 2, 3 and 10.

“We could be done with the tiles in one day, if we have enough volunteers show up,” said Blake, who estimated that 85 percent of the work on the ramp would be done by then. “Of course, we’ll have an archeologist and someone from the tribe on site, to check for any remains and make sure they’re managed properly. And if there’s a big rainstorm or the water levels go up, we’ll need to change the date for the volunteers to do their work.”

If you’re interested in volunteering or donating, contact Blake at 360-403-3440 or bblake@arlingtonwa.gov.