Norfolk councilors vote to retain county ownership of marinas

Norfolk County will remain the owners of marinas in Port Dover and Port Rowan.

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But county staff will take a look at revising projected capital improvements for the marinas, increasing user fees, and the potential to have them operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of the municipality as ways to reduce costs.

“It’s quite abundantly clear there’s no wish from council or the public to sell these valuable assets,” said Coun. Tom Masschaele at a council-in-committee meeting on Wednesday.

A crowd of Marina supporters broke into applause following councillors’ unanimous decision, which requires final approval at a council meeting later this month.

In a report to councilors in September, county staff recommended the sale of the marinas, which they said will require capital improvements costing more than $21 million over the next 10 years.

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But Norfolk treasurer Amy Fanning said that projection is based on a capital plan created in 2010 by the council of the day. Mayor Amy Martin said the plan was based on that council’s wants, not needs.

For example, said Bill Cridland, general manager of operations, a plan for a $4-million building at the Port Dover Harbor Museum was intended for use as a banquet hall. He said that cost could be significantly reduced if, instead, an extension was put on the current office to reduce overcrowding.

“These were the wants and here are the needs,” said Port Dover Coun. Adam Veri. “It’s a different time. We need to do the bare bones to make them safe and accessible.”

The September staff report to council, which recommended sale of the marinas, said it was the “most straight-forward and cost-effective” option. It said continuing to allocate capital financing to the marinas would divert resources away from other services, “which is difficult to justify when weighed against the broader interest and needs of our community, particularly given that marinas are not considered to be ‘core’ municipal services , compete with the private sector, restrict full access to members, and are often used by 50 per cent non-residents.”

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The Port Dover marina has 458 slips for seasonal dockage and 11 transient slips for visitors, daily ramps, hydro and water slips and generates an annual surplus of about $434,000.

The Port Rowan marina, which has 40 slips including hydro, 38 water lot leases for boat owners, two transient docks and a public launching ramp, is operating at a deficit of about $131,000.

Members of the public were quick to throw their support behind the marinas remaining under municipal ownership. An open house held by the county in September to get community feedback attracted about 200 people.

“By putting this on the table, it kind of scared people,” said Jennifer Dundas, a Port Rowan resident who spoke at Wednesday’s meeting. “It made people realize how much they value this entity.”

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Diane Austin told councilors about 20 concerned residents formed the Port Rowan harbor committee just days after the open house. She said the committee gathered close to 2,650 signatures from those opposed to the sale of the marina.

Ron Banks, who operated a marine service in Port Rowan for 35 years, said many residents “view the harbor in historic terms” dating back to the 1800s.

“We don’t want to lose this gem to private ownership,” said Banks.

Port Dover resident Marion Gadsby said the marina there is a waterfront asset. She outlined for councilors her vision for a new east beach near the marina, a picnic area, space for food trucks and secure areas for boats.

Keith Milner of Bronte Shore Yacht Sales in Port Dover noted several “unnecessary” items in the capital improvement plan for the marina, including $100,000 for a pavilion refurbishment.

“The marina has been neglected and needs repairs, but the costs need to be reviewed, and prices reduced drastically. We need to make it open to everyone, not just boaters. Our problem now is that we have a marina with a locked gate. We need to open it up.”

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