For generations, the Memories Fish Camp provided a no-frills site where anglers and recreational boaters could access the picturesque upper reaches of Fowl River. On Friday, it officially opened a new chapter as a public boat launch.

County Commissioner Randall Deuitt presided over a ceremonial ribbon cutting attended by numerous other public officials and a crowd of Fowl River residents. The occasion came about five years after the county negotiated a deal to buy the property from its longtime family owners, and eight months after the site closed for upgrades.

On Friday those upgrades were on full display. Previously, the main features of the site at 4901 Fowl River Road had been a gravel boat ramp and some undeveloped space for parking. The parking area and ramp are now asphalt and cement, with additional parking space across the road still under development. The single, narrow ramp is flanked by a small dock, and on the other side of that is a wheelchair-accessible floating kayak launch that allows users to get themselves fully situated before sliding their craft into the water.

The project cost about $635,000, according to information provided by the county, and Deuitt stressed that it all came from GOMESA funds the county receives from offshore oil and gas leases.

“As many of you know, this park was paid for without a penny of your tax dollars,” Deuitt said.

Dueitt noted that back when the county was discussing the purchase, officials had to work to allay community concern that a bigger, fancier ramp would increase powerboat traffic in the upper reaches of the river. The upshot, he said, was that the county’s goal was to make Memories nicer, but not bigger.

“We had several meetings in the community, at least five, and I attended at least three to make sure that this park was what this community wanted,” Deuitt said. “We did everything we could do to improve the access to the water without putting too much pressure on the vital ecosystem here.”

Several members of the previous owning family were on hand. Memories Fish Camp was opened in the late ‘80s by Wayne Norris and Shirley Norris; Wayne Norris modeled his bait shop after a store that had operated on the site in his own childhood. After Wayne Norris’ death in 2005, Memories was run by Buddy and Charolette Puckett, his son-in-law and daughter. On Friday Christa Davis, sister to the late Charolette Puckett, spoke for the family. Her father had been known as the “unofficial mayor of Fowl River,” she said, and she appreciated the way his legacy would live on.

“We are so grateful, we really, really are, that the name Memories Fish Camp will remain,” she said. “It means a lot to our family.”

“You have really improved it 100 percent,” said Shirley Norris.