By Steven Fletcher
Staff Writer
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Inner harbor businesses and property owners will have a chance to tell the Waterways Board what they think of its floating marina proposal.
The board will hold two listening posts Tuesday — one at 10 a.m., and the other at 7 p.m. — in City Hall's Kyrouz Auditorium.
At both sessions, Phil Cusumano, vice chairman with the waterways panel, will present the board's plan for the Municipal Transit (floating) Marina. Cusumano designed much of the project.
Cusumano said Tuesday's meetings will give property owners in the Designated Port Area a chance to comment on how the marina could affect them.
"We'll see if it will harm their business or help their business in any way," he said.
Board members met with the Army Corps of Engineers about the proposed marina, said Board Chairman Tony Gross, adding that the corps didn't have any initial concerns with it, but wanted the board to talk with property owners on the harbor's north and south channels.
Gross said the board has sent invitations to everyone who owns property in the Designated Port Area to share their thoughts on the project.
The marina could hold roughly 30 vessels at a time depending on its configuration. The proposed 450-foot long, Breakwater-style marina would be for transient boaters and act like a floating parking lot.
Cusumano has said the floating marina could bridge the gap between downtown and the harbor. The project could offer 22 slips marked by 40-foot "finger" docks attached to the main arm. The front strip of the dock would extend 450 feet to accommodate larger boats of varying sizes.
Both Gross and Cusumano said the marina has a long way to go.
Gross said the board has worked out some preliminary figures, but the project isn't anywhere close to ready for bids or construction. The Tuesday hearings, he said, mark the first of those steps.
While Cusumano says he's gotten offers from companies who want to build the project, he said it will take some time to get it up and running. He received offers from a Baltimore-based marine company, and a marine technology company out of Florida.
"There's still a lot of work to be done," he said.
Steven Fletcher may be contacted at 1-978-283-7000 x3455, or sfletcher@gloucestertimes.com. Follow him on Twitter at @stevengdt.
