OutdoorNebraska

12 Nebraska Game and Parks Commission • Floating The Good Life B U D G E T I N G F O R Y O U R T R A I L From the core objectives, a vision of the scale and level of amenities provided will come into focus, which moves the dialog towards formation of the project budget. Developing a project budget should take into consideration all aspects of the process, not only the building cost. Total project cost topics include: • Plan development (if needed) • Land acquisition (if applicable) • Design and permitting fees • Construction costs of access point and amenities • Annual operational and maintenance expenditures Identify all potential costs up front in the budgeting process to minimize overlooking something later in the process. Design, permitting, and construction costs can vary due to the level of amenities preferred along with site preparation necessary because of the physical location of the site and characteristics of the water body. It is important to engage other groups or governing bodies that have completed water access sites and find out what can be learned from their best management practices. Another option is to develop a master plan, which takes the objectives and desired amenities of the project and develops preliminary layout plans and probable construction costs to expect. Engaging a qualified design consultant with experience in permitting and design of similar river and lake embankment projects is recommended. That consultant may be a civil engineer, landscape architect, architect, planner, or a team comprised of various disciplines and expertise. While the master planning process requires a fiscal commitment, it is small in comparison to the total project cost and can aid in visualizing implementation requirements through generating detailed graphics to promote the project for funding and gaining public support. Through the budgeting and master planning process, it may become evident that achieving the core objective outcomes may exceed the fiscal resources initially available. If so, consider looking at a phased approach to the project. Assess whether it is fiscally possible to implement a functional water access as a first phase, and then incorporate additional amenities over time. As the initial phase becomes operational and popularity of its use increases, funding opportunities and partnerships not previously available commonly emerge. Begin the budgeting process with the "long view" in mind that this is a lifetime investment for the public and a sustaining opportunity to engage with your Nebraska waterways. Figure 2 gives an example of how an access point and its accompanying amenities can be phased in over time if usage and funds allow. It starts with the necessities of the access point, the ramp or approach to reach the water, a staging area, parking, and a location for either a permanent toilet or portable toilets. From there it could expand to increase parking if usage requires, and upgrading the restroom if needed. And a third phase could include adding other day use amenities such as picnic shelters, grills and fishing access, or even primitive camping if the space allows. KAYAKING AT THE PONCA EXPO OUTDOOR DISCOVERY PROGRAM

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