East Chicago Marina Boaters (Letter handed to me my Marina officials)
This letter hopefully will address some of the questions that have been waged by many of you. In an effort to ensure you make an informed decision, we are attempting to provide you with all the information and decisions that we have as soon as they are made available. On the back page of this memo is a synopsis of the Marina Project that was used for the RDA.
We anticipate using the Dry Stack for inside ground storage but are awaiting some decisions on the fire suppression system. We had hoped to have a final answer for you today, however, there are some additional quotes and scheduling requests to work out in order to give a definite answer.
In an effort to get started with deconstruction, all boaters need to start plans to get out of the water as soon as possible.
If everything goes as planned to get indoor storage corrected (Dry Stack), below are strict schedule dates. All equipment to remove boats from the water will be shut down by October 30, 2016
- Boaters that have slips but do not store here at the Marina must be out of the water by October 1, 2016.
- Dry Stack Rack Boats must be in the building and on the rack by 10-15-16 No exceptions. If you are not in by this date you will not be able to store inside.
- Dry Stack Floor Boats must be in the building by 10-29-16. If you are not in by this date you will not be able to store inside.
- All remaining boats out of the water no later than 10-29-16.
If construction goes as planned boats can enter the water for 2017 boating season starting May 6, 2017 there will be no April early in’s for 2017 boating season.
Prices for wet slip rental will be slightly adjusted due to the elimination of some slip sizes. We do not anticipate large fee increases. We will have a definite price list after the next port authority meeting on Wednesday September 21, 2016.
Slip availability for boating season 2017 will go as follows:
Seniority will be given to boaters that have been with the East Chicago Marina for 5 years or more. You will be guaranteed a slip as long as you complete your contract, have current insurance and pay in full between January 3 and 13, 2017.
All remaining current East Chicago Marina boaters will accepted on a first come first serve basis as long as we receive your completed contract, current insurance and pay in full between January 30, 2017 again with the same requirements of full pay. Partial payments are a thing of the past, we will only accepting full payments from now on.
- All rules and regulations stated in the contract will be strictly enforced on the new piers-specifically there will not be any drilling or adding of anything on the slips and piers. No rugs, benches, bars…. Violations of this will incur penalty fees and possible removal from the Marina.
- There will no longer be mooring poles between the finger piers. None of the newer Marinas have them and we decided to do the same.
PROJECT BACKGROUND/SCOPE:
The existing East Chicago Marina dockage system is past its useful life and has created unsafe conditions. Utility services, including fire protection, fuel and sanitary systems on the docks are becoming increasingly unreliable and require excessive maintenance. The existing public overlook pier is in dangerous and is partially closed to public access due to structural safety concerns. The goal of the East Chicago Marina Floating Dockage System Replacement project is to update and improve the existing floating dockage system.
The project will replace 292 existing boat slips with 141 new floating boat slips. Utility services on the docks will include electrical, lighting, potable water, and fire protection (cable TV and Wi-Fi will be provided). The existing fuel dock and system will be replaced with new fuel distribution lines, dispensers and sanitary pump-outs. The existing fuel station attendant building, located on the fuel pier, will also be replaced.
An existing “Gap” in in the East breakwater presently allows excessive wave energy through the breakwater. This wave energy has damaged the northeasterly slips (Dock G) over the years to the extent it is unsafe and unusable. A wave attenuation wall will be placed adjacent to the “Gap” to reduce the wave energy entering the Mariana basin and improve these conditions. Some general maintenance and clean-up is proposed along the shoreline and marina basin bottom, including minor removal/adjustment/addition of stone and debris removal/disposal. The construction of the wave attenuation wall is not included within the East Chicago Marina Floating Dockage System Replacement Bid Documents. A separate bid package is to be developed for the wave attenuation wall, as this work will require a specialized contractor due to the risk associated with constructing the proposed wave attention wall within close proximity to the existing City of East Chicago water in-take pipe.
We will be updating you on the status of construction via our web and Facebook pages which will be updated and available mid to late September. You can email any questions and concerns via this avenue as well.
