By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

NAPLES — While going from shallow to deep sounds like a profound personality change, it is also what the Town of Naples would like to happen to the water at Kent’s Landing.

The constant shifting of sand at Kent’s Landing has made the water incredibly shallow and rendered the dock unusable to some boaters.

Several months ago, the town applied for a dredging permit through the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

“We finally received our DEP permit for dredging of the boat launch at Kent’s Landing. The engineering firm that did the permitting for us is trying to get an estimate of the cost. And, we will then put it out to bid,” according to Naples Town Manager John Hawley.

“There is only a short window of opportunity to do this, as the DEP permit only permits dredging between November and April,” he said.

“That window of opportunity is closing pretty quickly, I would like to get it done this spring. As much as I would love to get this done before the spring, we will be at the mercy of the budget and the availability of dredging contractors,” he said.

Obviously, the town would prefer to get the work done before the boating season starts in May instead of waiting until November. 

“Our goal is to get this done sooner than later,” Hawley said.