WESTBROOK – Come next spring, it could be much easier for recreational kayakers and canoeists to get onto the Presumpscot River right in downtown Westbrook.

The city is considering a plan that would see the installation of a series of ramps, docks and floats on both the north and south sides of the river downtown, along with a possible canoe and kayak rental facility in Riverbank Park that would look to spur interest in the river.

Bill Baker, Westbrook’s assistant city administrator for business and community relations, has long been a proponent of promoting the river and its benefits, going as far as publicly going over Saccarappa Falls when he became Westbrook police chief in 2007. He said the city has considered opening up access to the river as a way to help promote downtown business for some time.

“For at least 15 years, various studies have been undertaken by the city that have suggested that the city would benefit by promoting recreational use of the river,” Baker said. “But no concrete steps have been taken.”

While nothing has been finalized, Baker said he has reached out to the Department of Environmental Protection and other regulatory agencies to ensure that the ramps could be built, and he has started to solicit bids to build and install the structures.

“We’ve got bids coming in to install three ramps and floats, two on the south side and one on the north side, which would allow boaters, specifically kayakers, canoeists, and paddle boarders, physical access to the river, and would begin, we hope, to stimulate some interest in the river.”

One of the access points would be at the back of Riverbank Park on Main Street. It would likely be the main access point because of Baker’s idea to have some sort of boat rental concession there.

“Our hope there is to have the community services division create a rental organization, have someone actually renting kayaks, canoes and paddleboards in the rear of the park next summer,” he said.

The other access point on the south side of the river would be at the end of Ash Street, adjacent to the city-owned parking lot that is already there, Baker said. He added that the access point on the north side of the river would be at the Brown Street Community Garden site just east of the Black Bridge on Brown Street.

While the city would pay for the ramps, Baker did not have a cost estimate available. “It’s difficult to say, because I only have one proposal in at the moment and I don’t know what the range of proposals would look like,” Baker said. “It’s probably premature to guess.”

And once Baker gets the bids in, the Westbrook City Council still has to approve the plan, which Baker expects to have finalized soon.

“I obviously have to get council approval, but there certainly will be a concrete pitch with products and prices brought to the council in the not too distant future,” he said.

Robert Mitchell, who owns HVAC Services in Westbrook, is an avid kayaker and has long been an advocate of developing more access to the river.

Mitchell has proposed building a recreational water park in the heart of the city, tying his proposal to the fact that federal regulators have mandated that Sappi Fine Paper begin construction of a fish passage at the Saccarappa Dam by 2014. Mitchell has proposed that instead of constructing a traditional fish ladder, the company construct a natural fish passage as part of a park that would open up the river to recreational use, allowing the fish to share the space with kayakers, canoeists and even swimmers.

However, Sappi has not shown any interest in the proposal so far, and Baker’s plan to install ramps and floats is unrelated to the river park proposal.

Even without the recreational water park features, Mitchell said he believed it was a good idea to allow more people to get onto the river and enjoy it.

“I think it’s a great plan,” he said. “It’s a very pretty location and it’s convenient.”

Both Mitchell and Baker agree that opening up access to the river could bring more people into the city and that would help boost businesses downtown.

“I think once we create access to the river and promote it and have rentals, I think people from the area will see what an amazing resource it is,” Baker said. “All of those people who come in and kayak, canoe and paddle board will presumably grab lunch at a local restaurant on Main Street. I think it’s a strong first step, indicating the city support for use of the river.”

“The waterfront is our biggest unexploited potential for the town for economic growth,” Mitchell said. “There’s an economic benefit that hasn’t been realized.”

“It’s all about exposure and making people realize (what the river has to offer),” Mitchell added. “(If we get convenient access) then people will start to realize that this could be more and it could start growing and growing.”

This area off Ash Street is one of three locations where the city is considering installing a series of ramps and docks to allow greater access to the Presumpscot River for kayaks and canoes.