The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will host two public meetings in January and February to discuss the proposed new boat launch at Point No Point.

The meetings, which follow public sessions held in November and December, will take place at the Greater Hansville Community Center, 6778 N.E. Buck Lake Road, located in Buck Lake County Park.

The first meeting, scheduled from 2-4 p.m. Jan. 24, will cover parking, upland development and traffic concerns. Community impacts will be discussed at the second meeting, scheduled from 2-4 p.m. Feb. 21, said Kristen Kuykendall, WDFW design engineer.

“During our meetings last fall, numerous community members along with the Greater Hansville Area Advisory Council reviewed the proposed design and offered their suggestions,” Kuykendall said. “The upcoming meetings are designed to gather input on other issues before the department starts the permitting process.”

Kuykendall said the permitting process for the new launch should take about 18 months, with construction beginning in 2011 or 2012.

The launch, built in the 1920s and purchased by WDFW in 1996, was closed in January 2002 for safety reasons. Kuykendall said the department always intended to put the popular boat launch back into operation, but faced funding issues.

Then in 2007, WDFW received a $250,000 grant from the state’s Recreation and Conservation Office to complete the design and obtain the necessary permits.

Kuykendall said the department will seek state and federal grants during the 2011-13 biennium to construct the boat launch.