COEUR d'ALENE - There's deep water nearby, and seemingly enough space for parking.

No qualms from the Idaho Transportation Department or Bureau of Land Management, either.

Silver Beach could be the right spot for a new boat launch, said Coeur d'Alene Parks Director Doug Eastwood. But it's a long way from breaking ground.

"This is still very conceptual," he said Monday night.

Eastwood and Philip Boyd, principal engineer at Welch-Comer in Coeur d'Alene, presented their Silver Beach plans at a Kootenai County Waterways Advisory Board meeting. Referencing two detailed sketches, they pointed at the ramp's major design elements.

The two-lane launch, protected by an offshore breakwater, would be sited between Beachouse restaurant and the high-rise condominiums to the west. It would have 56 boat trailer parking spaces.

A nearby ITD service road could potentially provide more space.

The project would cost an estimated $2.5 million.

On the western edge of McEuen Field, the Third Street launch has 48 parking spaces, Eastwood and Boyd noted. It has five launch lanes, but realistically, only three can be used simultaneously.

In accordance with the McEuen Field redevelopment plan, the Third Street launch will not be removed until another launch has been provided.

Eastwood, Boyd and the advisory board members agreed that a major boat launch on the northern edge of Lake Coeur d'Alene is imperative.

"Our position has been, and continues to be, we need a boat launch of the approximate size of Third Street (on the north side of the lake)," said board Chairman Jim Aucutt.

The advisory board is in support of the Silver Beach plan, Aucutt said. He offered the board's assistance as the project moves forward.

Eastwood had considered the old DeArmond mill site property, now owned by North Idaho College, as a potential boat launch site. Silver Beach is now the frontrunner.

"We haven't given up completely on NIC - there's still some discussion there," he said. "But we're not putting our effort into it at this time."

During the Silver Beach design process, the team met with representatives from ITD, the BLM and Idaho Parks and Recreation, Eastwood said. None of the agencies raised a red flag.

Lynn Schwindel of Coeur d'Alene, a longtime user of the Third Street Launch, attended Monday's meeting. He said several factors must be considered when siting a new ramp.

"It needs to be a protected area, deep water year-round, (and) easy and fast access for the EMTs," Schwindel said.

Frank Orzell of Coeur d'Alene questioned the financial aspects of the project. Any investment, he said, should be consistent with today's economic climate.

"Why spend all that money to get equal to what you already have?" Orzell asked. "Where's the wisdom in that?"