New docks slated for Banner Creek Reservoir

Four boats docks at Banner Creek Reservoir are set to be replaced this winter with the help a $40,000 grant from the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism. 

At Monday’s Jackson County Commission meeting, John Kennedy, Banner Creek Reservoir manager, presented a preliminary proposal outlining the size and cost to replace three docks on the north side of the reservoir and one of the south. The proposal was submitted by Trade Winds Distributing Inc. of Altamont, Mo., which is an official distributor for EZ Dock. 

The proposed docks and their locations include:

* Dock A includes an 80-inch by 10-foot dock section, a five-foot by 28-foot gangway and railings. This dock will replace the dock at the kayak cove on the north side of the reservoir.

The cost of the dock is $30,743.71, and it will be ADA compliant. 

* Dock B features an 80-inch by 10-foot dock section and a five-foot by 16-foot gangway. This dock would replace the dock that is located just south and west of the main boat ramp on the north side of the reservoir. The estimated cost of materials for this dock is $15,410.

* Dock C includes an 80-inch by 10-foot dock section and a five-foot by 16-foot gangway. The existing dock located in the recreational vehicle area on the north side of the lake would be replaced with this dock. The materials for this dock are estimated at $20,475.96.

* Dock D includes an 80-inch by 10-foot dock section, a five-foot by 16-foot gangway and railings. This dock would replace the dock on the south of the reservoir and would be ADA compliant. The estimated cost of materials for this dock is $31,403.

“The grant doesn’t require that we have two ADA compliant docks, but I thought we needed one on the south side,” Kennedy said. “I would have liked to have installed a dock in the swim beach area, but it’s not in the budget right now.”

The current docks were original installed when Banner Creek Reservoir was established in the 1990s. The new plastic docks will rise and fall with the water levels and won’t need to be taken in during the winter like the current docks.

Recently, the county received a $40,000 Competitive Development Grant from the state department. The grant is a matching grant, and the commissioners have agreed to allocate $40,000 in county funding towards the purchase of the docks.

While the total cost of the proposal from Trade Winds is $98,023.67 and does not include shipping and installing, the company has agreed to give the county a 20 percent discount if the county signs an agreement for the purchase of the docks by Nov. 10 and pays for them by March 15, Kennedy said. 

With the additional 20 percent discount, the total cost would be $78,418.94.

“They know we have an $80,000 budget to work with,” Kennedy said of the company. “They are giving us quite a discount.”

Kennedy said it is likely that the company will provide shipping and installation for free. 

The commissioners agreed that capital outlay funds will be used to match the $40,000 grant. 

When the docks are installed, Kennedy said that he and staff members will be in charge of constructing additional abutments, sidewalks and parking lots to those docks without those amenities currently. He is estimating that the cost of that work will be less than $5,000. 

“I think it’s a great plan. It’ll be a great improvement to the lake and a lot safer,” said Commissioner Rob Ladner. 

The commissioners agreed to the proposal and will have Trade Winds submit a formal contract for them to sign before Nov. 10.