Chippewa Lake to replace dock, put in kayak launch

CHIPPEWA LAKE — Chippewa Lake Village Council authorized more than $19,000 to be put toward replacing the village's dock and adding a kayak launch for the use of residents. Village Council discussed the measure during a special meeting on Wednesday. Chippewa Lake resident John Sandora has been doing a lot of the legwork for the project. He said the dock will be 40 feet long and 6 feet wide, and the kayak launch will be to the right of the dock. A kayak can be placed in the launch, so the boat is stable while someone enters or exits it. He said there will also be an overhead grab bar installed to make it easier for people to get in and out of it. "A lot of our residents are getting up there in age, and they're having a hard time getting in," Councilman Ken Demeter said. "Even for young people, it's just for the ease of getting in." Demeter said the idea came to be because the current dock is in poor condition, and over the last few years residents have been asking the village to install a kayak launch. The project has been in the works for around six to eight months. "We thought it would be a good idea to kill two birds with one stone," he said. Chippewa Lake applied for an AARP grant to pay for the project, but it did not receive it, Demeter said. Instead, it is primarily being paid for through an endowment fund that was donated to the village by a family for parks and improvements. Taxpayers will pay the $29.88 that was left over. "It's not a burden on the taxpayers at all," he said. Sandora said there is no exact timeline for when it will be installed, but the manufacturer has the parts in stock, so it probably will happen soon. "(It will be) fairly quick, except for the bar," he said. "The bar has to be specially made, so it would be a few weeks after the kayak launch is installed before the grab bar can be installed." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.