Marina closed to commercial use

The Department of Lands and Natural Resources will be closing down the Outer Cove Marina for commercial use starting tomorrow, Nov. 13.

In a public meeting held Tuesday night, DLNR Secretary Richard Seman announced the closure to tenants and other concerned members.

“We can no longer operate commercially out there,” Seman said.

He added that there will be absolutely no loading and unloading at the Outer Cove Marina, but boaters can use them for parking.

“They are more than welcome to use the facility, provided that they sign a waiver that basically informs us that they are fully and totally aware of the situation and that they do that at their own risk,” Seman said.

He noted that tenants understand the need to close down the marina and that while DLNR is stopping the commercial use, it is also doing its best to expedite the repair.

“Their concern is whether they can continue to operate. And the answer is yes,” Seman said.

About 70 percent of tenants of the Outer Cove will be using the Smiling Cove. Because of the load, Seman said they will be working out a schedule for all those who will use Smiling Cove, which was originally intended for recreational boaters only.

Seman said they will also discuss what needs to be done with the expected increase in traffic—not only for boats but for land vehicles as well—in the Smiling Cove Marina.

He said they will be meeting with tour operators, who usually bring in buses and vans.

“We need to see what happens to see how we can approach it,” Seman said.

However, as bigger boats requiring deeper drafts will not be able to use the Smiling Cove, a temporary solution will have to be put in place.

“We need to focus our attention also on their need because they deal with a large volume of people and we want to minimize the impact of the closure,” Seman said. “We need to find accommodation and the way to do it is to fix the specific site right away within a day or two.”

Seman said they will be putting out a request for proposal for the temporary and immediate repair of Dock A that would enable them to use it for a year to a year and a half while they work on the marina’s overhaul.

He said they are also preparing the RFP for the submerged lands of the Outer Cove Marina with the assistance of the Office of the Attorney General.