App users, tap here to watch video report.
By Tom Kowalski
As our region’s boating season gets closer, North East residents grow increasingly concerned about the future of the North East Marina after the The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission shut down electrical service to the marina’s docks last Fall.
Additionally, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has implemented a new dredging policy, which is preventing the North East Marina from reopening to the public.
“We’re working diligently to get the permits in place to be able to dredge the marina and hopefully open it up this year, not only for transit boats, but for the slip owners,” said Dan Pastore, District 1 Commissioner for the PA Fish & Boat Commission.
Residents of North East are concerned with how the marina’s indefinite closure will affect the town’s summer economy.
“I can give you off the top of my head 12 to 15 people that I know [who] come up here and spend three to four months out of the year paying taxes here because they rent or own a house for half the year, ” said North East Mayor, Jon Triana. “That’s going to hurt our tax base. Our municipality [tax] rates just went up.”
The marina’s uncertain future is already scaring away some boaters.
“I’ll be looking for other marinas to be able to put my boat just in case things don’t work out here,” said John Stolar, a local boat owner.
Leave a Reply