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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 8, 2017)
December 8, 2017 T he C olumbia P ress 5 Boats: Abandoned vessels have become expensive statewide problem Continued from Page 1 about a dozen derelict or abandoned vessels and is down to six or seven today. “We’re trying to get them all out of here,” Sweet said. “We’ve come a very long way.” The abandoned commer- cial vessels take up space that could otherwise be rented. “The trick is to not allow them in here,” she said. “We don’t let anybody in here (now) without proper regis- tration, documentation and insurance.” The Lily Marlene, a century old commercial boat aban- doned by its owner, was one of Warrenton’s first projects. In January, the city hired a Marine Board seeks comments on rule change The Oregon State Marine Board seeks public comment on amending a rule adopted in 2015 for visual distress signals in Oregon’s ocean wa- ters. The rule established re- quirements for boats west of the “line of demarcation” at the tips of the jetties for Or- egon’s coastal bays with one exception: the Columbia Riv- er. The proposed rule change would remove the Columbia River exemption, making it consistent with U.S. Coast Guard designations. The visual distress signal requirement would be for the ocean west of coastal bays and their associated jetties. Written comments are be- ing accepted through Dec. 29 and can be submitted via email to osmb.rulemaking@ oregon.gov or mailed to June LeTarte, administrative rules coordinator, 435 Commercial St. N.E., Suite 400, Salem OR 97301. company to pull up the sunk- en boat so it could finish the $9.1 million Warrenton Ma- rina improvement project. Warrenton is not alone in dealing with abandoned ves- sels. The privately owned Ski- panon Marina, which is ad- jacent to Warrenton Marina, held a public auction Nov. 30 on an abandoned sailboat named Tolli. “It’s a big problem and a very expensive problem,” said Bob Link, Skipanon Ma- rina’s owner. The Tolli was his second auction, a legal process that costs about $9,000 per boat. Yet leaving a boat that’s gar- nering no moorage fees is ex- pensive, too. “They’re abandoned and become a hazard to the wa- terways because of contami- nants,” he said. The Port of Astoria Board of Commissioners considered a bid Tuesday night to disman- tle a fishing vessel that has been dry-docked at Tongue Point after the port pulled it from the muck several years ago. The cost to dismantle: more than $20,000. While there are some di- lapidated boats in the boat yard, the 74-foot Recruit is the port’s last real problem vessel, said Jim Knight, the port’s executive director. “There are even dirty dishes in the sink and before we tear it apart we have to empty it.” Abandoned boats have be- come such a problem for Oregon’s marinas that the Oregon State Marine Board formed the Abandoned/Der- elict Commercial Vessel Task Force, an advisory group that helps develop solutions. And a decade ago, legisla- tors set up a fund providing $150,000 every two years to help in removing the boats. The money doesn’t stretch far enough, said James Co- gle, environmental program coordinator for the Marine Board. “We have assisted in the re- moval of 15 commercial ves- sels since the fund started,” Cogle said. Commercial vessels are, of course, the most expensive to remove from waterways. This biennium the fund is target- ing recreational vessels and 19 of those will be removed through the fund, he said. Warrenton has been work- ing with the state in its sales process and has received some funding to assist in dis- mantling the worst boats. “The Marine Board is trying to find a way to add on a (reg- istration) fee for end-of-life for these boats so they’re a little easier to dispose of not just for marinas, but the own- ers as well,” Sweet said. Until then, “it’s one headache at a time.”