Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Secretary Madison Sheahan, along with West Monroe city officials, broke ground on a new public fishing pier Monday. The pier is being built as part of the West Monroe Downtown Master Plan.
The pier is being funded, in part, through a $262,352 grant from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the federal Sport Fish Restoration Program. The pier will provide additional fishing access for experienced and beginner anglers of the community. The construction cost of the pier is $544,000.
The pier is designed to extend 185 feet from the bank and include a partially covered floating dock to accommodate rise and fall of the river level. Once complete, the pier will be owned and maintained by the City of West Monroe.
“It’s a huge tourism component, there’s a huge economic development component to these things, and so if we can play a small role in that, we are excited to take part in it,” said Secretary Sheahan. “Any time we can provide services to the people of Louisiana – the sportsmen of this state – we are going to be doing that.”