TOPIC:

I woke up in the middle of the night with a bomb of an idea. Why doesn't the city of East Chicago sell their marina to a private enterprise. Just think.... The privateers would operate it with efficiency. The docks would be fixed, they would provide easy access to their customers. They'd fire employees who are horse's asses. They wouldn't have a bunch of patronage employees sucking up the bennies. I'm thinking it would be all for the good of us guys who would love to love this jewel in the middle of the industrial armpit of Indiana. Plus, the EC officials would have several million dollars to pocket, squander and the city would be no better off than they are now!

Yeah...and while were at it, we can get that great 8 lane ramp built at Mich city on the nipsco property...what a squandered opportunity

You do not know how close to the truth that you are. The talk around the marinas is that they have been looking for a couple years now. The last I heard was that they were going to at least outsource it to the likes of Skipper Buds or someone else. That started the year they closed down the in/out service and building. Problem is that politics seem to keep getting in the way, as it always does. Since they reinvented EC in around 1989 it was a great escape from the Chicago harbors and a much needed resource for boaters on the Indiana end of Lake Michigan. Nick Trgovich was running it and Andy Vosar took care of the launch ramp with great pride. Now since EC has been running it, with city employees who do not know or care about Marina Operations or how to keep boaters happy in general, it has gone downhill and fast. Something needs to be done and fast or the once flourishing marina life in EC will soon fail completely. And don't even get me started on Aero Marine Service.........Terrible reputation and they still continue to screw the only captive audience they have left....

I do not know why anyone would stay there with their boats now. Grass is never cut, docks are in disrepair, fuel dock is never open, pumpout never works, bathrooms are atrocious, the only thing keeping people there is the fact they have been there forever and don't know what else is out there. Hammond, Michigan City, Portage, And Marina Shores all are tons better and WAY CLEANER!!!!!!

East Chicago better do something quick or lose the last remaining loyal customers they have........

Yeah the marina and the surrounding area is a shithole but recently there have been some improvements like the paving of the parking lot, landscaping (green grass...lol) and fixing the road full of potholes. These little upgrades might attract an investment group which raise the fees and squeeze what they can out of whats left and then shutdown the entire operation. I figure if they paved the parking lot the launch fees will most likely increase to cover the costs. And the freebie launches to the residents will be no more.....

Poorboy

What they Should have done was make it so the gambling boats had to pay to keep up the marina. Although may have the same issue with Government misspending.