Professional Engineering Services Approved for Lake Marion Boat Rampby James CoulterA larger boat ramping with more parking spaces and better maneuverability will be coming soon to Lake Marion now that Polk County commissioners have approved engineering services. At their regular meeting on Tues. Sept. 2, the Polk County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) voted unanimously to approve a consultant services agreement Dewberry Engineers Inc. to provide proffesional engineering services for a boat ramp at Lake Marion. Located northwest of Lake Hatchineha, Lake Marion currently has public boat launching access on the southwest side of the lake; however, a larger ramp has been proposed for the northeast side. County Manager Bill Beasley stated that he and County Staff will be seeking state and federal grants to cover the cost of the project’s construction. “The logic behind that is that the state looks for shovel-ready projects,” he said.