INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — If state officials agree to split the costs, county boaters and anglers can expect a $400,000 face lift in about a year to the Oslo Road boat ramp, the only one in the mainland Vero Beach area.

And nighttime sports fans can look forward to a $204,000 field lighting system at Gifford Park.

County Public Works Director Jim Davis is scheduled to discuss the projects and take public opinion this morning before his staff files its application for grants to the Florida Recreational Development Assistance Program.

"You get more points (for the grant competition) if you hold a public hearing," Davis said Tuesday.

The hearing on both projects are set for this morning in the County Commission Chambers, 1840 25th St., Vero Beach.

Following the hearing, the county Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee meets at 10 a.m. to review existing programs and consider other county recreation needs.

Charles Searcy, a former School Board member and local angler, said Wednesday he has called for a better boat ramp for Oslo over the years, most recently in 2003.

Where Oslo Road meets the Indian River Lagoon, he said, the channel is 2 feet deep and only can handle canoes, kayaks and other shallow-draft boats.

And boaters who need to get out of the boat often find themselves up to their knees in muck.

"From Fort Pierce up to the Wabasso Causeway, there's no access for people who live on this (mainland) side to get into the river," Searcy said.

Mainland residents can cross to the barrier island, Searcy said, but those parks' boat-ramp parking lots fill up by 6 a.m. on weekends.

Mike Nixon, a county design engineer, said he so far envisions paving the eastern 1,000 feet of Oslo Road, renovating the existing ramp, and adding parking for about 40 cars and docks for fishing, observing the river and mooring boats.

The Gifford project, meanwhile, seeks $102,250 from the state for athletic field lighting with an equal amount from the county.

Both applications must be filed by the Sept. 15 deadline.

The state Department of Environmental Protection then would judge the proposals in a competition with those from across the state and send recommendations to the Legislature next spring for awarding the grants.

Meetings today

• Gifford Park lighting application, 9:30 a.m, County Commission Chambers, 1840 25th St., Vero Beach.

• Oslo boat ramp application, 9:45 a.m., commission chambers.

• County Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, 10 a.m., county Conference Room A, same address.

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