The Marion Marine Resources Commission met with full attendance on Wednesday, August 19, at 6:00 pm to discuss recent operations, financial planning, and shortening the town waitlist for mooring boats — which is estimated at 10 to 20 years, according to a 2022 Wanderer article.
Chair Vincent Malkoski Jr. expressed interest in surveying the Beverly Yacht Club and Tabor Academy’s usage of moorings, claiming spaces assigned to both institutions had been empty for multiple years. The chair also stated that the Yacht Club and Tabor should be charged as commercial moorings instead of personal, which would increase the cost per space by $135 annually.
Current rules allowing residents to hold empty mooring spaces for extended periods of time may be reworked in the future, according to Malkoski. If this happens, the chair said a public discussion would take place. However, there was no indication this would occur in the near future.
Harbormaster Cameron Wentworth shared his plans to build a new kayak rack by the Harbormaster building, pending fire department approval. He added that unpermitted usage of racks had become an issue at Silvershell Beach, as permitted kayakers had left their spots empty. Current kayak racks hold nearly a dozen kayaks, each spot costing $50 annually.
Wentworth also shared that the portable tank used to fuel town-owned boats had recently been contaminated by rust and water from an unknown source, which may have spread to all three town-owned boats. Cameron said their pump-out boat “had a bunch of problems” due to the contamination and “probably got the worst fuel put into it,” as it operates the most frequently. All boats have since received fresh fuel filters.
The harbormaster announced that his office is searching for an administrative assistant after Rimma Sokolovska left at the beginning of the month. Cameron said, “We’ve been seeing how much she did for us,” adding that he is “happy to see that she’s moving on to something bigger and better for her, [but] sad to see her go.”
As of August 23, the department is still accepting applications for the position.
Marion Marine Resources Commission
By Zakary Sarkarati