Sturgeon point island

[H20chrome]

Wonder if it will still be there by the time the tiger Lillie’s bloom

[mr 580]

Erie County is to receive some Regional Development Funds and $323,000 is ear marked for Town of Evans to repair Sturgeon Point break wall to eliminate the annual dredging.  No timelines in the funding announcements the other day just list of the projects.  

[jimski2]

An oceanographer while discussing the Point Breeze Marina project declared the Sturgeon Point Marina the worst place possible for a marina location due to the sand deposition there. It is a money trap.  Eighteen Mile Creek or even Sisters Creek could be opened up with a harbor project by dredging a basin and an off shore channel to the lake.

[mr 580]

Jimski2 while the prospect of designing and constructing a new harbor along the NY shoreline of Lake Erie might make good coffee shop conversation is it possible?  The reality in today’s political and financial climate is that it would be highly unlikely that one could find any public or private entity to undertake a project of that magnitude from a regulatory and financial stand point.  It would take local, state and federal groups to be behind that type of project for it to happen and that type of cooperation is not going to happen.  I have been in discussions on trying to get maintenance funding and that has been a challenge for even small amounts.  Good luck getting a new project funded.

[jimski2]

Well just where does all the sales tax money from the boating community go? Where is all the registration money going? Where is all the fuel tax money going? We do not receive highway and bridge taxes that take up a lot of money. Seems the the guys in the suits know how to take it from Albany and Washington. Are we stupid to put up the denials from the legislators?

[mr 580]

Not enough people are asking those questions.  I’m involved in several sportsman’s groups and all are having trouble with recruitment as older members age out.  Unless something changes and more people step up, sportsmen will lose rather than gain access.  The suits and politicians pay attention to numbers and money.  A lot more shoulders are needed to get wheels moving. 

[jimski2]

Maybe outfits like Cabela's/Bass Pro could be involved. After all they are putting more watercraft on the waters every day. With all the money they send to Albany their bean counters could get the numbers our Assembly and State Senate have stashed away for their personal use. Somehow the accounting will come out from the Black Holes in Albany and Washington.

Edited December 26, 2019 by jimski2

[mr 580]

Nationally one in ten people is a boat owner.  In New York and Erie County it is probably less than 10% as New York registers about half of the boats that the big 3 states of Ca, Fla and Mi. do.  In order to get political traction for a new harbor project one would need to have the support of 20 to 30 percent of the voting public in the local town and Erie County to get the attention and support at the state and federal level to make it happen.  So every boater would need 2 or 3 neighbors making noise and using their voting powers to push this project.  Going to take a lot of groups and many people to get to that level.  A 3rd party business like BPS might provide some support but is not going to lead the charge.  That company is probably still working through the Cabela buyout.  Insight to that process can be gained by reading the current state of affairs in Sydney, Nebraska after the Cabela layoffs and closure.  People interested in supporting a harbor project might want to attend some local meetings - example Erie County Federation of Sportsmen and Southtowns Walleye would be example as a starting point.  Big big job to get this rolling- not something a handful of people is going to get done.