From a new police vessel, parking issues at Island Wharf, and delinquent boat-mooring permits, the Marion Marine Resources Commission’s meeting on July 16 at the Island Wharf Dock office led to some long discussions.
Parking issues around and on Island Wharf, within the village district, remains a growing concern for the MRC and other town entities. Commissioners mentioned that the MRC often is the target of complaints when people attend concerts nearby or weddings on the weekends and see boat trailers parked on the boatyard.
Harbormaster Adam Murphy and MRC Chairman Vincent Malkoski Jr. say there are permitted commercial vehicles that have every right to park on Island Wharf. He also said that a fence blocking off parking at Island Wharf raised some concerns from residents recently.
“There is a misconception of trailer parking. We sell commercial permits to any entity that uses the docks, piers and parking for the landing,” Murphy said. “So, when you see boatyard equipment in the parking lots, they are permitted to be there. … What I think is happening is we get a complaint or two, and it gets pushed further than it should be pushed.”
Malkoski, who is on a subcommittee to address parking in that area, says the Department of Public Works, under the direction of the Select Board, installed that temporary fencing.
Malkoski said this is a decades-old problem, and he has raised concerns since January. He has also attended three Select Board meetings on the matter. Both he and fellow MRC members say it is an issue that impacts the entire community, including businesses nearby that rely on summer traffic for revenue.
Malkoski said swales in the area have also reduced the parking footprint over the years. The growth of music at the bandstand and weddings being held nearby have only worsened the issue. Murphy reported that on July 4 weekend, there were 400 cars parked in the area. He said that one positive trend is some Marine Division staff members have directed traffic on some busy Saturdays.
“Hopefully, we will have some creative solutions,” Malkoski said. “We want people to use the harbor, but we do not patrol parking permits.”
Murphy also unveiled the new harbormaster police vessel which was procured through a grant. He said this will come with blue lights and distinct lettering, as well as software to run background checks on boaters. It was mentioned the lights will distinguish it as a police boat only because oftentimes civilian marine staff members patrol the waterways but do not have enforcement authority.
“It will significantly differentiate. People will know, when that boat comes, the police are there,” Murphy said.
He said the former harbormaster police boat will be auctioned off and revenue will be allocated to the general treasury.
Murphy and the MRC are working on a comprehensive harbor management plan, and Murphy also updated the MRC on 50 moorings without vessels.
Murphy said of those 50, 40 are commercial entities. Those commercial entities will be receiving a letter to resolve the problem. He said the 10 others will get a warning for not having a permit. If they do not pay, they will have to remove the moorings at their own expense.
He also touched upon wind sticks that have been abandoned.
Murphy said for the wind sticks, a good policy to adopt will be to send a letter to those people holding spaces, give them a set timeframe to remove them or harbormaster staff members will remove them.
Murphy prefaced a topic for next month’s meeting: kayak racks at town waterfronts and people who pay for kayak rental space but are not using them. Murphy proposed that kayak rentals should be done on a first-come, first-serve basis but that topic will be addressed at the next meeting.
The next meeting of the Marion Marine Resources Commission was not scheduled at adjournment.
Marion Marine Resources Commission
By Jeffrey D. Wagner