TUESDAY, APRIL 9,
2013
CLAYTON — Local divers will soon be
installing a divers’ access point at the east end of Frink Park just in time for the 2013 tourist
season. Funded entirely through donations,
the grass-roots project aims to attract more divers and kayakers to the
tourist-driven village by allowing easier access to the St.
Lawrence River. A dozen volunteers will build the
removable dock — a 10-foot-wide by 16- to 20-foot-long wooden structure with a
T-ladder — by May 1, and perhaps earlier if the weather cooperates, said local
veteran diver Raymond I. “Skip” Couch. Mr. Couch, a scuba diver since the
1960s and a founding member of the Clayton Diving Club, has raised $2,700 for
the project so far and has persuaded several local businesses to donate material
needed for the structure, including the T-ladder. Once the dock is complete, it will
be turned over to the village of Clayton. However, Mr. Couch said, members of
the Clayton Diving Club will volunteer to maintain the structure and pull it out
of the water every fall for inspection. Monetary donations are deposited in
a village government bank account, and any leftover funds from the project will
be used for future maintenance. With the divers’ access point, Mr.
Couch had said, Clayton has the potential to become a popular spot for
recreational diving and training. He estimated that the removable dock
would attract more than 50 divers every summer
weekend. Almost half of the project’s total
cost will be covered through donated material from Clayton businesses including
Reinman’s Ace Hardware, French Creek Marina and Don’s Prop
Shop.
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| Sketch of 10' By 20' base dock for Divers access.. |
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| Sketch of exploded view of 10' By 20' base dock for Divers access.. |
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End of regional dock where divers access will be deployed
Clayton, NY
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