The Augusta Canal Authority celebrated its new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant kayak ramp, Friday afternoon.
Canal Authority Vice Chairman Russ Gambill presided over a ribbon cutting ceremony at Mill Village Trailhead, where the new ramp has been installed along the canal. The Canoe and Kayak Club of Augusta, the Augusta Sports Council and the Georgia Rehabilitation Institute, which helped fund the new ramp, all had representatives in attendance, alongside Mayor Garnett Johnson and District 1 Commissioner Jordan Johnson, who christened the new ramp by taking a kayak on the waters.
Dennis Skelly, CEO of the Walton Institute and the ceremony’s guest of honor, called the new addition “perfect,” and highlighted the canal as one of Augusta’s resources that need to be accentuated, “not only for local residents, but for visitors.”
Two-time Paralympian athlete Lynn Seidemann, a fairly recent transplant to Augusta and a member of the board of directors at Walton Options for Independent Living, lauded the city’s embracing of “outdoor adventures for everyone.”
“It’s opening up all kinds of doors and windows, and it’s just fantastic to see that enthusiasm,” said Seidemann. “I’ve got it, and now I want to share with other people… across this area.”
After recounting how Gambill presented the idea of launching a new ADA ramp, Skelly announced that a second ramp is slated to be installed upstream from the trailhead.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering general reporting for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com
