State officials are planning to build a new Kansas River boat ramp a mile west of Perry after an earlier plan to put one near Lecompton ran aground because of access, engineering and financing problems.

The new ramp would be built on donated land along the north side of the Kaw, and river enthusiasts can’t wait.

“We’re building this access so it’s usable for duck hunters, motorboaters, canoeists, kayakers anybody who would want to recreate on the Kansas River,” said Mike Calwell, access chairman for Friends of the Kaw, an organization that protects the river and promotes its use. “It’s so the public can get on and use its own river.”

The state would finance the work by using money collected from taxes on boat fuels, said Chad Luce, a spokesman for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. The estimated cost of the project $75,000 to $100,000 could be reduced with some labor assistance.

“We have spoken to the National Guard about assisting us with the development,” Luce said. “Nothing has been finalized yet.”

Luce said he did not know a timeline for the project, other than that the financing would come from the department’s 2002 budget.

As currently envisioned, the project would include construction of a ramp, parking lot and privacy fence. A road also would be upgraded to get people to the site, donated by members of a family that once operated a hog farm on the property.

Calwell, a longtime river supporter, said he was certain the project would be completed. And it can’t come soon enough.

“There are only three public access points on the entire 170 miles of the Kansas River,” he said. “That’s the equivalent of three accesses on the (Kansas) Turnpike.”

Calwell said Friends of the Kaw and Wildscape, another Lawrence-based organization, had been working for years to boost public access to the river. The organizations’ first choice for a ramp was at Lecompton, where a historic cabin and wooded area could serve as a staging area for float trips and other activities.

But those plans soon foundered.

The state objected to building a ramp on the south side of the river, next to the Kansas River Bridge, because crossing railroad tracks at the site would be dangerous for people and their boats, Luce said.

Going directly north of that site also is proving unlikely because the river is too shallow there for motorboats, he said. And without motorboats, the state can’t use money generated by taxes on boat fuels.

“It’s not unfeasible that it would occur, but the wheels are not speeding along at this point,” Luce said.

Despite those problems, Douglas County commissioners are scheduled to discuss plans Monday morning for a boat ramp directly across from Lecompton. State Rep. Tom Sloan, R-Lawrence, has pushed for an access point across the river from Lecompton, and has asked commissioners to finance trash and mowing services at the site.

But Jere McElhaney, commission chairman, noted the obvious conflict: The ramp would be in Jefferson County.

“I’ll guarantee you Jefferson County wouldn’t spend any money in Douglas County,” McElhaney said. “Why should we spend any money in their county?”

Monday’s meeting is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. at the county courthouse, 1100 Mass. Also on the agenda for commissioners to consider:

Adjusting policies for use of buildings at the Douglas County 4-H Fairgrounds. Bill Bell, director of buildings and grounds, seeks direction about fee waivers, scheduling priorities, cleaning charges and restrictions.

Hiring Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center to provide services for inmates at the Douglas County Jail.