It is gratifying and ironic that the Baker administration included Lynn’s Seaport Landing Marina in the most recent round of Seaport Economic Council funding.
Baker ordered the Council revived in 2015, and the new $210,000 allocation to Seaport will pay for engineering and permitting for projects designed to increase the marina’s connection with the rest of Lynn’s waterfront.
But remember: The Baker administration seeking to enhance marinas like Lynn’s is the same administration that sank Lynn’s waterfront ferry after three years of operation.
The governor sat in a May 2018 Daily Item editorial board meeting and said the ferry needed to do a better job attracting riders.
“Only 30 people rode it last summer,” Baker told The Item. “Ferry systems that generally have worked on the North Shore are the ones where local communities own the ferry and we help them with operating issues.”
Item editors found the governor’s “catch-22” logic lacking. Needless to say, a ferry has not returned to the Blossom Street extension dock and parking lot built with $8.5 million in state money.
The ferry’s absence doesn’t detract from Seaport Marina’s importance. Largely unnoticed by city residents except for people who live and work at the marina or dock their boats there, the marina anchors one end of the waterfront.
Combined with neighboring Heritage State Park and the residential complex under construction opposite North Shore Community College, the marina is a beautiful starting point for pedestrians and bicyclists who eventually will be able to enjoy a waterfront path.
The city, with state and federal financial assistance, has largely been playing catch up in recent years with the marina. A 2013 blizzard caused extensive damage to marina walkways and slips. Between 2017 and 2019, $2.5 million in federal money helped pay for restoration work.
The Seaport Council money is a downpayment on future projects enhancing the marina’s waterfront presence. Toward that end, the Baker administration deserves credit for understanding Lynn officials’ commitment to reviving the waterfront and we hope that understanding is met with future state money allocations for marina projects and the return of a ferry.
