RMA employees responsible for the bulk of the work are, from left, Vincent Carrillo, Kyle Buchanan, and Mark Kitchner. Mechanic Eric Kvasager, not pictured, fabricated the metal brackets to allow the dock to be moved up and down with the water level.

RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - First suggested by the Rancho Murieta Fishing Club in February, the Rancho Murieta Association (RMA) finished building a new boat ramp and dock at Lake Calero on Jan. 9.

The culmination came when four employees, including Maintenance Manager Troy Schaffner, ignored the cold, rainy weather to launch the dock from the concrete ramp where the final assembly had taken place the previous day.  The boat ramp is on the peninsula at the future Calero Lakeside Park.

Schaffner said the main challenge was dealing with the Calero water levels, which rise and fall more significantly than in Chesbro and Clementia. He said they looked at docks at other lakes, talked to the bridge manufacturer (SuperDeck Systems), and found some wheels for the dock from another company.

The finished ramp and dock at Calero is ready for anglers to launch their boats. However, the ramp is so steep that golf carts won’t work.

“This was brand new to us…It was mostly standing here with a piece of paper trying to figure it out,” he said.

Thanks to their brainstorming, the dock has two brackets that connect to six metal poles that have been embedded into the concrete from the bottom to the top of the ramp. Now RMA workers can move the dock up and down depending on the water level.  

Rancho Murieta Association Maintenance Department employees launch a new boat dock at Lake Calero on Jan. 9. The RMA employees built the new concrete ramp first. 

Schaffner said the concrete had to be poured in sections to get the cement truck in and because RMA didn’t have enough employees to work on a big pour. Because of the topography, the ramp will be too steep for residents to launch their boats using the golf carts. He said signs will be posted to warn them.

Schaffner said the board approved a $35,000 budget for the work, with Summerfest donating $10,000 of that amount. The RMA funding came from exclusive use fees, which is money collected from residents for a license to use a common area. The final cost was $34,500.

RMA employees began working on the project last summer when Rod Hart was still the maintenance manager. Schaffner took over the supervision after Hart was promoted to general manager.

Schaffner said that employees Vincent Carrillo, Kyle Buchanan, and Mark Kitchner deserved the credit for constructing the new amenity. He also praised mechanic Eric Kvasager for fabricating administrative assistant Susan Hamrick had helped them with her computer skills, particularly in finding the wheels that make the dock easier to move.

The suggestion for the new ramp and dock came from past fishing club President Jay Soloman and current President Jim Monical. The two broached at it at the February meeting of the RMA Maintenance Committee.

Both were delighted with the end result.

“It looks great and was much needed over there,” Solomon said. “RMA Maintenance did a fantastic job. We are very lucky to have Rod, and now Troy. They really put a lot of thought into it.”

Monical said that Solomon had been the main champion for the new facility. The concern was Calero lack of any ramps or a dock, which made the water hard to access, especially for older residents.

“RMA has done a great job,” Monical said. “I compare it to what they have at Camanche and New Hogan. These are the bigger reservoirs that support an awful lot of boating activity and fishing.” 

Carrillo performs some concrete finish work at the bottom of the ramp on Dec. 5. The concrete had to be poured in sections.