It’s been a year in the planning and development. All the hard work has paid off as the south coast’s newest ADA accessible kayak launch, located in John Topits Park, is now installed and ready for use. The new launch is near the park parking lot off of Hull Street. 

The new kayak launch was made possible by a generous partnership grant from Travel Southern Oregon Coast (TSOC) and the Judith Ann Mogan Foundation. TSOC has been working to increase the number of ADA accessible kayak launches on the southern Oregon coast and to build what has become known as the Southern Oregon Coast Kayak Trail. With the addition of the new kayak launch at John Topits Park, there are currently three ADA kayak launches nearby: Lakeside, Coos Bay, and Gold Beach and two standard launches in Reedsport and Bandon.

TSOC is a regional destination management organization focused on developing the South Coast of Oregon into a sustainable and vibrant visitor destination. TSOC receives funds from Coos County by way of an overnight lodging assessment at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, which formed through a Memorandum of Understanding between the Resort and Coos County. TSOC funds regional marketing opportunities and projects that promote Oregon’s South Coast as an overnight tourism destination.  For more information, check out TSOC's website. 

I have had the pleasure of serving on TSOC’s board of directors for a little over four years. I know as a former longtime restaurant owner and a TSOC board member that tourism is an important component of our state and local economy. Per a 2019 report out of Oregon State University and information from Travel Oregon, tourism in Oregon is a $12.3 billion industry employing 115,400 Oregonians. Outside of the state’s urban areas, the tourism industry is responsible for roughly 10% of the jobs in areas such as ours. As your mayor and a TSOC board member, I know that the new kayak launch will not only serve to build our region as a tourism destination and help in supporting our tourism economy, it’s also another recreational amenity for our community members to enjoy.

-Joe Benetti, Mayor of Coos Bay