WILLIAMS LANDING... GONE?

[kikstand454]

ok. so maybe some of you know more about this....but i heard a rumor today that it is in the works at the county level to let some "rowing club" or something buy or lease williams landing on lake talquin and completely change it for the purpose of having rowing competitions there. this apparently includes a hotel, paving over the campgrounds... and roping off 2 miles of rowing course in the lake in front of williams. this alone would be dangerous in the fact that the running lanes for the lake are on that side and traffic would be averted to other side in the logs. this is going to tap law enforcement for parking and fwc on the water at every event. not to mention that this is selling a public ramp to a private event.
again i dont have all the details on it.... im sure some of you can find out more... but i think this totally sucks and is wrong on a million different levels. why cant they do this on lake bradford at the fsu reservation..... like its supposed to be? i dont know just thought id lelt more people know so they can complain to a comissioner too.

[Koenig]

Ok here goes. They are not buying the landing, they have bought three lots just up from the campground. Two for the building and one for parking. I don't know if the campground will be effected or not, I am guessing not. They plan on building an Olympic sized rowing complex for the Southeast region. This facility would entertain national and international events, also reqular practices and training. They are thinking of placing the hotel in that vacant lot at the corner of Williams landing road and Hwy 20. From my understanding the rowing lanes will be submergable when not in use. Come sort of cable pulley system with floats. The county and city are interested for the obvious reasons; commerce, taxes, and so on. They are still in the meeting stages with local gov. and I do not believe anything is concrete.

[RiverRunner]

Gator Bait!!!

This is the first I've heard of this.

[Koenig]

No one has heard much. It seems as though they are trying to keep a low profile until they get the go ahead, if they get it at all. Some folks on Williams Landing Road have got wind of the plans and are quietly gathering forces.

[Paddletail]

I have spoken to Leon County Commissoner Jane Sauls aid,they had only heard rumors about this so far. The information I have so far is that FSU, Leon High School and a rowing club in Tallahassee are behind this. I talked to the FWC and the State Land Management group they know nothing about this.

[kikstand454]

im not sure why fsu has anything to do with this. whats wrong with lake bradford? where they do it now? y cant leon county schools use lake hall like they have for years.
apparently the guy in charge of this rowing club took told my informant that they expect 4000 plus at each event. they plan to pave the campground for parking. they also bought 3 new 9hp outboards.

seems like they know whats going on all shady like and the public is in the dark.

[Terrier]

They row on Lake Hall on Saturday and Sunday mornings. They are a polite, nice bunch. I've had a few collisions and near collisions over the years (biggest catch on Lake Hall was a 8 person boat!), but nothing major. On a lake as small as Hall, they will take over the water doing their laps. I think that's why they want to move - Hall is too small and it gets weedy enough to restrict them even more.

[Koenig]

Those mentioned are behind all this but not the only ones looking to use it (i.e. out of towners). Size of the other lakes is the issue, from my understanding. I believe they need a two mile track and plenty of room to turn the boats around. It may not be to the County Commission level yet but it will. My sources are on both sides of this issue.

Something else, Talquin gets really choppy. Wonder how them boats do in two footers.

[Hula Popper]

This doesn't sound like such a bad idea.

Am I missing something? I mean, people out rowing their boats. Is that a bad thing?

[Double Naught]

Hula,

I think its mostly the fear that the we little guys will get pushed aside. We will eventually lose another place to launch our boats and fish in peace. Like most folks, I am not thrilled about crowded water, but I wouldn't deny others their chance to enjoy that water, same as me. It is inevitable that things will change, but they can't force me to like it.

One thing I am curious about: Is this a coed sport? That could really change my opinion on this whole deal.

[Barhopr]

Bring'm to Lake Seminole. We have plenty of room for them. There are a few Corps maintained landing that have been moth balled by the corps that they might could move right into. And no purchase necessary, the Corps operates on 25 year leases. Not kidding here..very serious!

[bigirishllp]

hello all, been a lurker for awhile and signed up today. they are trying to build a "world class venue" for rowing, they will be blocking off huge sections of water for the event, not only for the boats themselves, but also to create a no wake zone, sculls don't like wake.

and yes, women participate too, wearing skimpy outfits

[kikstand454]

eh...
i dont think im looking at it specificlly like "the little guy" gets boned again.... im more thinking that this is a half arsed idea thats beinng pushed through with little to no press. its not the rowing competition that is pizing me off... its the audacity of the people involved. not only would we effectively lose williams landing, through spring summer and fall, but also effectively lose the use of over half the lake. or more. if williams is gone then you have only coes (far north near the river) and hall landing well to the south. the space inbetween will be no mans land and impassable because of either wake retrictions or the fact that the actual rowing lanes will block off all navigable water. you cant go by. even idling at no wake itd be dangerous to go arround williams landing on the far side of the lake. for two miles? so noone can go into little river either. also i dont know if you guys knnow but alot of people temporarily LIVE at the campground there at williams. there is no other camping on this side of the lake.... or the other side that i can think of. this is park land that is being overran.

i know that this is financialy better for the area cause if they do it up like theyre saying alot of revenue will be coming in. but alot of tax money will be going out too... and it all seems shady. yes, progress marches on.... but tell that to those of us who remember a totally different panama city beach. progress sometimes sucks.
i personally cant stand lake talquin, but alot of people base their lives there.... lots of tourney fisherman are upset at this. i just think that maybe we all shouldve at least HEARD about this at this point.

[flyboy]

Beats the $@%t out of Jet Skies.

[chugbug]

Don't they know that rowing is ghey?