Go Fish Sites Announced
Updated at 4:32 p.m. with additional data from governor's
office and link. New material highlighted.
(12/28/07) It hasn’t exactly been a secret this week that
Gov. Sonny Perdue’s home county – Houston – will
be getting the biggest plum from his “Go Fish” program
– a $22 million Go Fish Georgia Center, fishing lake and hatchery
to be built at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter near
Perry.
But now that’s been officially announced, we also know what
other areas will benefit under the program, which is designed to
help promote the state to major fishing tournaments and as a fishing
destination spot for sportsmen.
Ten sites that will be getting mega-ramps to help promote the sport:
• Laurel Park - Hall County on Lake Lanier
• Wildwood Park - Columbia County on Clarks Hill Lake
• Richard B. Russell State Park - Elbert County on Lake Richard
B. Russell
• Pyne Road Park - Troup County on West Point Lake
• Veterans Memorial State Park - Crisp County / Cordele on
Lake Blackshear
• Earle May Boat Basin Park – City of Bainbridge on
Lake Seminole
• Jaycee Landing - Wayne County and City of Jesup on the Altamaha
River
• Robert Baurle Ramp – Augusta / Richmond County on
the Savannah River
• Gum Branch Access - Hart County and the City of Hartwell
on Lake Hartwell
• Tugaloo State Park - Franklin County - Stephens County and
the City of Lavonia on Lake Hartwell
Click here for a map
of the sites (Adobe Acrobat).
Perdue announced the details in Perry. He said Perry was chosen
for the visitor center and hatchery after an independent review
of more than a dozen potential locations, using criteria developed
by the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Economic
Development.
Other factors favoring the Perry site, he
said, were that local governments and business boosters are contributing
$2.5 million towards construction; the land already is owned by
the state; the site is less than a mile from I-75 and is visible
from that heavily-trafficked corridor, and the annual fair held
on the grounds attracts 1 million visitors a year.
Here
is a fact sheet about the selection, which the governor's office
provided. (Word document.)
The 10 mega-ramps – facilities capable of supporting large
fishing tournaments – will be part of a 15-site bass fishing
trail. Eight of the sites will receive Go Fish funds to match local
financial and in-kind contributions. Two of the sites on Lake Hartwell
will be built using funds from a PCB contamination settlement with
a South Carolina firm.
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