Seaport Marina lands $267G grant for dockage

LYNN – Seaport Marina has landed a $267,000 federal grant that will provide funding to create 12 slips for transient dockage.”It is perfect timing for all this to come to fruition,” Community Development Director James Marsh said of the so-called Boating Infrastructure Grant. “I foresee more and more reasons for people to come to Lynn by boat.”With Heritage State Park and the pedestrian walkway a stone’s throw away, giving access to North Shore Community College, The Blue Ox and even Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Marsh said there are all sorts of reasons why boaters might stop in Lynn. The continued development of the Washington Street project and the waterfront will only add to them, he added.Under the grant, the proposed project is for 12 slips, accessible to the disabled, that will fit vessels ranging from 26 feet to 60 feet in length that will be located in what is now called C Dock. C Dock runs along the front of Heritage State Park and was severely damaged as a result of several powerful storms in 2012. The estimated cost for the project is $367,000. Marsh said Community Development will pick up the remaining $100,000.The project opens a new door for the marina, which doesn’t have a designated area for transient boaters, although both Marsh and Harbormaster James Perry said there has been a need for it.”Currently we fit them in wherever we can,” Marsh said.Perry said if he knows a member is going to be gone for three or four days, he will let a visitor park in their spot. Like Marsh, Perry said he expects that with the changes happening on the waterfront and in the downtown area, the need for guest slips will only grow. He also noted that there are not a lot of public landings on the North Shore where transient boats are welcome. Revere and Marblehead have slips but they are privately owned by yacht clubs. “If you’re coming up from Cape Cod you would be seeking a municipal marina like Seaport,” he said.Perry also pointed out that Lynn is a nice day trip for boaters coming from as far south as the canal and from as far north as Beverly, Salem or Marblehead.”We’re really very centrally located,” he said.Perry also believes the grant will impact the entire waterfront, not just the marina. He said he already sees more and more people using the public launch ramp at the end of Blossom Street extension and boats cruising into Lynn harbor. In the spring when the gas docks reopen he expects even more traffic, he said.Lynn is one of 15 communities across the country that received a portion of the federal funding administered locally by the Division of Marine Fisheries. Other projects range from an offshore mooring installation in Hawaii to marina redevelopment plans in Arkansas, Florida and Maine to other transient dockage projects in Virginia, Connecticut and Tennessee.”These grants, funded by fishing and boating enthusiasts, have helped communities across the nation build and enhance recreational boating facilities that provide recreational opportunities while supporting jobs and economic growth,” said Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe in a prepared statement. “This program is a win-win situation for recreational boaters, conservation initiatives and job creation.”