Good response on Wildwood ramps

Think your government doesnt listen? The folks in Keg Creek might beg to differ.

When Columbia County officials began planning to add tournament-quality boat ramps at Wildwood Park on Clarks Hill Lake, vigilant residents wanted to see what was on the drawing board.

The ramps were fine, and cabins and other new amenities would improve the largely-undeveloped park. But its neighbors saw red flags: The ramps, designed for mass boat-launchings for major bass-fishing tournaments, were to be built along Keg Creek.

Even when Clarks Hill is full, Keg Creek is a bottleneck. These days its little more than a mud-walled valley. Residents along the the creek are accustomed to frequent near-collisions as boaters and personal watercraft operators zip through the narrow channel.

Sure, the Keg Creek residents were leery of noise from these boats, too; but they were more worried about the danger of the blast off launch of dozens of boats in the waterway. They proposed the county go ahead with the project, but move the ramps away from Keg Creek to a larger channel on the other side of Wildwood.

The countys response? It sent its engineers back to work, and discovered the ramps would work just as well - maybe even better -where the Keg Creek residents suggested. The move may even save a few dollars.

More often than not, citizens who protest changes in their neighborhoods are simply engaging in NIMBY - Not In My Back Yard - reactions. But sometimes theyre right - and government officials are right, in either case, to respond.