More news in The Palm Beach Post about C-51 Canal, S-155 Spillway structure, and the future boat lift.

WEST PALM BEACH — The idea of a boat-transfer system at the Lake Worth spillway that allow boaters to move from inland freshwater lakes and canals into the Lake Worth Lagoon and on to the ocean — a nexus some say would boost inland property values — is being floated by local officials.
     The boat-transfer system at the S-155 water control structure, better known as the Lake Worth spillway, would be just east of Dixie Highway on the canal that separates West Palm Beach from Lake Worth. The feasibility is being studied by West Palm Beach, Lake Worth and Lake Clarke Shores.
     It could be as simple as a marine forklift or as complex as a small lock system that would raise and lower boats to move them from the freshwater canal into the lower brackish estuary, and vice versa.
     In addition to giving boaters in places such as Lake Clarke Shores access to the Intracoastal Waterway and the ocean, opening the freshwater network of lakes and canals to more boaters could spur redevelopment of commercial property along the inland freshwater canals, West Palm Beach Commissioner Shanon Materio said.

and. . .

     Lake Worth City Manager Michael Bornstein said the proposed boat-transfer system at the Lake Worth spillway could be located at Spillway Park, a popular fishing destination on the south side of the spillway that is owned by the water management district [South Florida Water Management District] and maintained by the city.
     “We’re very concerned about what happens there,” Bornstein said. “But if we can provide better access for our citizens and our fishermen, that’s something we might want to consider.”
     Bornstein said boaters entering the Lake Worth Lagoon from neighborhoods along the inland canals and lakes could bring business to downtown Lake Worth. They could run their boats south from the spillway to the Snook Islands docks near downtown for an evening out — or for special events such as the popular Street Painting Festival held in February.

Was this article published in
The Palm Beach Post today?
No. It was not.

This article was published in September 2013.

Written by former Post reporter Willie Howard.
Use this link to read the entire article from over
4 years ago. Here’s one more excerpt:

State Rep. Dave Kerner [now County Commissioner Dave Kerner], D-Lake Worth . . . called the proposal “one of the most exciting projects I’ve heard of in terms of economic development.”