Sailors, don't hitch up the boat for a relaxing day on Lake Horton just yet.

The Fayette County Commission has approved building a new boat ramp away from power lines that have given a shock to those putting in at the old ramp, but there are technical problems to be solved before construction can get under way.

"First I have to figure out how we're going to build a boat ramp with the lake [already filled]," said county consultant Jim Mallett.

Boat ramps are normally put in before the lake is filled, but the electrical problem is forcing the new one at Horton.

County officials closed the old boat ramp after sailors complained that they received a shock as they put into the lake. County administrator Billy Beckett said subsequent study confirmed that a static electric field has developed under power lines that stretch across the lake at the ramp. Severe shock is unlikely, officials said, but added they can't take any chances. The shocks have affected only sailboats with masts as tall as 18 feet, he added.

Reopening the old ramp for boats with a lower profile is possible, Beckett said, but sailboats will have to use the new one.

Mallett said workers probably will install a temporary dam, then excavate a place for the new ramp below water level, removing the dam when they're done.

The new ramp will be off Burch Lake Road, about 700 feet north of the old one, which is where Antioch Road disappears into the lake.