A story posted 5/5/2010 on IndependentMail.com said: Lavonia will help with the completion of the new mega boat ramp at Tugaloo State Park.

Still left to do is installation of a metal T-dock, lighting and pavilions.

Lavonia city manager Gary Fesperman told city council members last week that the lack of a T-dock could hold up a planned fishing tournament in April 2011.

However, he said, there was a way to solve that problem.

"Since … the state has no money to finish the dock, we agreed to put $35,000 toward finishing the dock and the lights,” he said. “The bottom line is we don't have anyone to bid the dock or buy the dock. You have an entity to do it. I asked (city attorney) John Dickerson if the city could buy the dock and donate it to the park and he said yes, we could do that."

The total cost of the mega ramp project now is $1.5 million — much more than the original $700,000 to $900,000 projected. Part of that money is coming from the Lake Hartwell PCB settlement and the Go Fish Georgia project. Cary Bennett with Georgia Power is on the Tugaloo mega ramp board. Bennett said that if Lavonia and the county can provide some more money, everything should be complete by July 1, the deadline to apply for the tournament.

“If we can get $55,000 from the county and $35,000 from the city and the state park is coming up with $105,000 to do the paving, we'll have everything in order,” he said. “I was in contact with Larry Lewis, the president of the Georgia Bass Federation. He's sending me a contract now. Then, he wants to come up and see what we've got. Even though it won't be finished by July first, he wants to see what we have and what plans we have in mind.”

On Monday, the Lavonia City Council voted unanimously to buy the T-dock and donate it to Tugaloo State Park.