Come spring 2022, devotees of the Russian River may have a new favorite spot in Guerneville to put their boats into the water. Construction at Guerneville River Park for the town’s first public boat launch area for non-motorized vessels started in August, according to a Sept. 7 press release from Sonoma County Regional Parks.
There are plans for more paths, trails, picnic sites and a ramp to hand-launch boats, as well as a second park entrance from Highway 116, another parking lot and a vehicle turnaround in the project and Regional Parks’ mission to increase access and enjoyment of the Russian River.
Per the press release, the facilities may open to the public by spring 2022, without any expected “closures, parking or user impacts.” Depending on the weather, construction will continue through winter 2021. Hanford Applied Restoration and Conservation was awarded the contract for the building process on Aug. 17, said the county webpage for Guerneville River Park – Phase II.
Lynda Hopkins, chair of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors and 5th District supervisor, said, “This project will transform Guerneville River park into a safe and convenient place for community river access, within walking or biking distance for families, and will significantly improve public access to the river in town, which is critical to supporting tourism.”
The 5.3-acre Guerneville River Park lies across the river from downtown Guerneville, managed by Sonoma County Regional Parks. In a statement, Regional Parks Director Bert Witaker said the boat launch will ease traffic at the other launch points “and create a convenient take-out spot for boaters, kayakers, canoers, rafters, stand-up paddle boarders and many others.”
According to the Regional Parks press release, the launch area’s downtown connection may also ease traffic on Main Street in Guerneville and support commerce with those seeking out the park and the river. Sonoma County Regional Parks also put out in its announcement that extending the park will be good news for people who don’t want to go to Forestville and Monte Rio river access points where there’s much more activity.
The reconditioned Guerneville River Park will place as the eighth access point of the Regional Parks to the Russian River and join the Russian River Water trail, “a coordinated system of river access sites envisioned to run 69 miles from the Mendocino County line through Sonoma County to the Pacific Ocean,” per the press release.
Several grants and funding sources make the park expansion project possible in full, from a $150,000 in “Parks for All” Measure M taxes to a $650,000 State Parks Division of Boating Waterways grant. The project also received a $368,000 matching grant from the Sonoma County Ag + Open Space, $80,000 in local park mitigation fees, and $203,662 in funding from State Parks Prop 68 Per Capita Program, the press release said. Caltrans deeded the park land itself to Sonoma County after the formation of the Highway 116 bridge still in use for people to reach downtown or the park by foot or bike, per the announcement.
