Monterey Building Kayak Dock At Meadow Creek Park With New State Grant

Monterey will use a $100,000 Tourism Enhancement grant to build a kayak launching dock at Meadow Creek Park.

Monterey Cultural Administrator Rafferty Cleary said the kayak dock was part of a master plan developed by the city for Meadow Creek Park. He said the grant to complete the docks comes at an ideal time.

“We’re looking forward to it,” Cleary said. “Its just one more amenity we’re adding to what we hope in the future will be one of the finest outdoor adventure destinations in the Upper Cumberland.”

Cleary said he hopes the grant will pay for the materials and construction of the dock. He said the target is to keep the dock in the $130,000 price range. The town partnered with local business The Outdoor Experience this past summer to set up a kayak and mountain bike rental shop in the park.

Cleary said currently kayaks are dropping into the water close to the edge of the dam.

“Currently there’s a boat ramp that’s out on Meadow Creek it’s very close to the dam’s edge,” Cleary said. “That’s fine for boats but kayakers and paddle boarders and what not, not so much. We prefer it to be a little further away from the dam for safety reasons. We also want to separate where the kayaks launch at and where the boats launch at.”

Cleary said Meadow Creek Park is in its infancy, opening in 2016. Cleary said also on the master plan was 13 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails. He said the park is eight miles through that project.

“We’re really grateful for this funding that’s been handed down to us,” Cleary said “We’re excited that it’s going to allow us to continue to chip away at some of the proposals from our master plan out there. The good thing about it is season don’t kill Meadow Creek. You can go kayak and fish in the winter time. You can hike and mountain bike in the winter time.”

Meadow Creek Park used to be the site of a coal mine in the late 1970s. The city bought the land and put up a dam, creating a secondary water source for Monterey.

said the city has to match $30,000 of the grant. He